A Bird In The Hand
by Lozzie
Summary: **COMPLETE**Dana is getting tired of Terry's irratic behaviour, a new student it the school can cause more heartbreak then anyone could imagine, and who wants to sabotage the school play? Trust me, it is better than it sounds...
1. 1

"Settle down class!" Ordered Professor Potnik from the front of the classroom. Dana stopped getting the gossip on what Peter Franko had been up to at the weekend, to sit down and get out her English Literature text, Romeo and Juliet. She glanced at the empty seat next to her. It seemed that Terry had decided to skip the day altogether. He had been doing that recently, skipping morning classes and not handing in homework. The work that he did was never as good as it had been and his grades were slipping.  
  
Dana sighed, deciding that worrying about her boyfriend was pointless. Besides he didn't even feel like her boyfriend anymore. They hardly ever went out, and if they did he would either arrive late, leave early or not show up. He had pulled the 'not show up' trick last night, leaving Dana waiting in a bar for nearly an hour. In the end she left, leaving a message with the barman for Terry should he show up.  
  
"Right." Professor Potnik began, brushing his greying hair from his eyes and perching his horn rimmed spectacles on his nose. He had elected to wear a brown suit today, one similar to those probably worn by world war one bankers. "Open your texts at page." He was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Take five." He said waving someone to come in. Dana opened Vogue magazine and flicked to the problem pages.  
  
"Class, I would like to introduce a new student." Potnik said, interrupting Dana from reading an article entitled 'My boyfriend dumped me for my brother!' "This is Lark Robertson." He said, indicating a girl standing next to him. Dana analysed her closely.  
  
Lark was small, shorter than the average sixteen or seventeen year old. She was also very slim. She wasn't amazingly pretty, but the more you looked at her, the more you appreciated her dainty nose, small mouth and pretty grey eyes. She certainly wasn't stunning, but she wasn't ugly either. She had shoulder length dark blonde hair, with lighter highlights, swept back into a high ponytail. She wore a shocking pink short skirt, a black halter neck top cropped at the waist to show off her well toned stomach. She wore a white jacket with pink detail and wore matching white mules on her feet. A light blue pack was swung over her shoulder. She smiled shyly as everyone stared at her.  
  
"Miss Robertson, why don't you sit next to Dana?" Potnik said, indicating the empty seat next to Dana. "Excuse me class, I just have to go and collect some books from the staff room." Potnik left in a flurry of paper as Lark awkwardly made her way over to where Dana sat. Dana tried to place her in a group. She certainly wasn't a goth, and she didn't look like a geek. She could be a cheerleader, but she also could be one of the 'cool crowd'. Dana sighed, unable to place a stereotype on Lark. Perhaps she would just have to be a misfit.  
  
As Lark made her way over, Peter Franko, the school Jock and total pig leaned over. As Lark walked past he put out a hand and pinched her bum, his friends laughing at the joke. Dana felt for Lark, it wasn't fun to be molested on you first day at school. But Lark acted quickly. She grabbed Peter's arm whilst it was still behind her back and turned around quickly, twisting his arm behind him so that he yelped in pain. The whole class stopped talking to watch the scene unfolding.  
  
"I'm sorry, did you want something?" Lark asked Peter. She had a Californian accent but she spoke with a threatening edge to her voice.  
  
"You know it babe!" Franko said cockily, laughing with his mates. But he yelped again when Lark twisted his arm up further.  
  
"If you want something you should ask for it like a gentleman." She reprimanded him.  
  
"Alright alright!" Franko groaned, wanting her to release her vice like grip.  
  
"However if you were aiming to act like a baboon with a big red arse then you are there." Lark said, letting go of Peter's arm. He rubbed it and looked up at her. "You were halfway there with you behind anyway!" She said, walking away from him. He tried to come up with a smart reply, but he couldn't. Some of the class were laughing, but not at Lark anymore. Others looked at her with mild admiration as she walked past.  
  
"Hey." She said, sitting next to Dana. "Sorry about you being landed with me. If this seat was saved for someone I don't mind moving."  
  
Dana looked at her and smiled. "It wasn't saved for anyone important." She said, which was true, she had saved it for Terry but he was pushed to the back of her mind. "I'm Dana."  
  
"Lark." Lark replied.  
  
"I liked what you did to Peter Franko." Dana said, nodding to the boy a few rows in front. "Nice touch, you're gonna fit right in here."  
  
"I hope so." Lark said. "I hate moving to a new school."  
  
"Where you from anyway?" Dana asked, warming to the girl already.  
  
"Texas originally. But my family moved to California when I was eight." Lark said, getting out her standard issue timetable, notebook and pen.  
  
"I could tell from your accent." Dana admitted. "Why did you move up here? I'd love top live in California."  
  
"I loved it there. We were right by the beach, I went surfing with my step brothers every day." Lark said remorsefully. "I didn't want to move here. I lived with my stepmother and her two sons in California because my father died when I was eight, that's why we moved to California from his ranch in Texas. Anyway my stepmother passed away a few months ago. Her sister fostered her two sons, but not me."  
  
"I'm sorry." Dana said. "So why did you come up here?"  
  
"I know that I have family up here, my grandmother on my father's side was originally from Gotham. I'm trying to find my family, but there are a lot of people in Gotham and I don't know where to start." Lark admitted.  
  
"That's rough." Dana said as Professor Potnik came back and handed Lark some books, including Romeo and Juliet and some other literature texts.  
  
"Where have you got to in this class?" Lark asked as they opened their texts.  
  
"Act Two in this play. You'll catch up quickly, we work really slowly with Potnik." Dana said kindly.  
  
"I can't work out my timetable." Lark moaned, her head swimming as she tried to figure out the codes and symbols on her timetable.  
  
"Let me take a look." Dana reached over and grabbed the sheet. "Hey, you're in most of my classes. Except when I have Home Ecomonics, you have Phys Ed. Whoa you chose Phys Ed?" Dana said.  
  
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Lark asked as Potnik went on about the significance of flowers in the play.  
  
"Only that it is an impossible class." Dana said. "Normally about a quarter of the class pass, and one year everyone failed! The teacher, Mr Collins is a slave driver. Half the class drop out after the first lesson. You had better be fit."  
  
"Well eight years of intense dance and gymnastics should set me right." Lark said. "I've never gone in for this academic stuff, I can't do it. But I'm good at sports, gymnastics, dance, soccer, football, hockey, track, field events, baseball, you name it and I've done it."  
  
"You might be in with a fighting chance then." Dana said as the bell rung to indicate break. They packed up their things as Potnik shouted at them.  
  
"Home work, how Romeo and Juliet is based in fact, three sides computer font size twelve, for next lesson."  
  
"When is the next lesson?" Lark asked as she followed Dana out of the classroom.  
  
"Day after tomorrow." Dana said. "But don't worry if you can't cut it with the homework, Potnik doesn't care as long as you give it in some time this semester!"  
  
Lark smiled to herself. She walked with Dana outside into the courtyard. The summer breeze was fresh on their faces and Lark removed her jacket as the heat of the sun warmed her.  
  
"Well, I don't want to tag along." Lark said as she saw Dana wave to another student.  
  
"Don't be silly." Dana said, grabbing Lark's arm as Lark made to walk off. "You can hang round with me for a while if you want. Until you find your feet, or whatever."  
  
"You sure?" Lark asked. "Because I don't want to be a burden."  
  
"No worries." Dana said. "Besides, you're cool. Nicer than the usual people we get here anyway." Lark smiled, accepting Dana's offer of friendship gratefully.  
  
"Hey Max!" Dana said as Max joined them. "This is Lark, she's new here."  
  
AN - Well what do you think? A bit of a slow start but it will get better, I promise. 


	2. 2

"Oh, look who decided to show his face!" Dana murmured sarcastically as she saw Terry approaching. Dana, Max and Lark were sitting in the courtyard having lunch. "Excuse me." Dana said, getting up and walking over to meet Terry.  
  
"Who is that?" Lark asked Max.  
  
"Terry McGinnis." Max replied, biting down on her apple.  
  
"Wow, he's really cute." Lark said, smiling.  
  
"Don't go there." Max said. "Terry and Dana have been an item since before time began."  
  
"They don't seem very happy about it." Lark observed, as she watched Dana berate Terry, who fought back.  
  
"Yeah, well Terry has other priorities at the moment." Max said, brushing her fingers through her pink hair, as the conversation wasn't going in the right direction for her. "I don't think Dana likes being anything other than top on Terry's list."  
  
"I see." Lark said. "I'm sorry I sounded so interested. If Dana is going out with Terry, then I'm really not interested."  
  
"Don't sweat it." Max said. "You got a right to know. It's best that you do, so that you don't go and put your foot in it."  
  
"Where were you last night?" Dana asked Terry when she reached him.  
  
"Last night?" Terry asked, rubbing his eyes to rid them of sleep. He carried dark black bags under his eyes and his face was pale from lack of sleep.  
  
"Our date?" Dana prompted him.  
  
"Oh right." Terry said. "Dana I am so sorry, something came up."  
  
"What came up?" Dana asked, when she saw Terry shake his head she finally let loose. "I've had enough of this Terry. I've tried to be a good girlfriend. But we never go out anymore, and if we do arrange something you cancel at the last minute, and never even give me a reason! You don't even have the courtesy to call me and tell me you can't come. I waited for you for an hour last night, avoiding the advances of other guys I might add, only to find that you have something more important to do!"  
  
"Dana I'm sorry, but I had to be somewhere else." Terry protested.  
  
"Somewhere that I couldn't be too?" Dana asked. "Where were you Terry? At least give me a valid excuse."  
  
"I.I had to baby-sit my brother at short notice. My mum had to go out on urgent business." Terry lied.  
  
"Really Terry? So how come when I phoned your house you mum answered and said that you had gone out?" Dana said shrewdly. "When I phoned your mobile she answered that too, you left it at home."  
  
"You were checking up on me?" Terry asked.  
  
"Obviously I need to." Dana said. "You breaking dates is bad enough, but now you are lying to me. I thought we agreed there shouldn't be any secrets between us?"  
  
"Secrets, what secrets?" Terry asked.  
  
"Who is she Terry?" Dana asked, tears coming to her eyes. "Do I know her? Is she pretty?"  
  
"What? Dana there isn't anyone else." Terry insisted.  
  
"How am I supposed to believe that?" Dana asked.  
  
"Because I'm telling the truth." Terry said. "Give me one more chance. I'll take you out tonight, wherever you want to go. You name the place, the time and I'll be there."  
  
"Really?" Dana asked. "Because I don't want to lose you Terry, but I have a feeling that I already have."  
  
"Let me make it up to you." Terry said.  
  
"Fine. Tonight, eight thirty at Horizon Club. If you stand me up Terry." Dana said as she walked back over to Max and Lark holding Terry's hand.  
  
"I won't." He promised. They sat down with Max and Lark.  
  
"Oh yeah. Terry this is Lark. She's new." Dana explained, peeling her banana.  
  
"Hey." Terry said hollowly.  
  
"Hi." Lark said, slightly put off by his lack of enthusiasm. At that moment the bell sounded for the next lesson. They got up and made their way into the hallway.  
  
"What lesson have you got now?" Dana asked Lark. Lark consulted her timetable.  
  
"History." She replied.  
  
"You're in my class." Max said.  
  
"We've got Economics." Dana said, indicating to herself and Terry. "Maybe we can meet you at the end of the day? We could go shopping or something."  
  
"I'd like that." Lark said, smiling. She walked off with Max towards their history classroom. "They make a cute couple. I can't see why Terry would treat her so badly though."  
  
"He doesn't." Max protested angrily.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that." Lark said quickly. "I just meant that Dana is such a nice girl, I can't understand why she isn't his top priority. I mean, most guys treat a girl as if she is a queen, especially girls like Dana."  
  
"Yeah, well Terry has a lot of his plate." Max said. "He does more than Dana knows, and he doesn't get a lot of time off."  
  
"What, does he have a job or something?" Lark asked as they settled themselves at the back of the classroom.  
  
"Sort of." Max replied. "He works unpredictable hours and for pittance in pay. But he likes responsibility."  
  
The settled down to work when the teacher, Mrs Dickson, started lecturing them about the Suffragette Movement. 


	3. 3

Lark crashed out on her sofa when she finally got in. She had had a long day at school, and had realised that shopping with Dana meant trying on every blue dress in the Gotham City Mall (incidentally all of the dresses were identical). Eventually she had settled for a blue dress that looked exactly like the one she was wearing. Lark didn't even bother to ask the point of this, especially when Max bought herself a top identical to the one she was wearing.  
  
'Everyone here must just have a wardrobe full of the same clothes!' She thought to herself as she pulled out a computer disk from the depths of her bag and walked upstairs. She dumped her stuff in her room and headed for the computer room, praying that none of the other kids were using the computer.  
  
Lark was staying in a youth hostel, run by some caring old ladies. Here children could come and stay whilst their parents were away or working. At the time Lark was the only person actually living there, the other kids were younger than her and were either staying for a few days whilst their parents went away on business or had to go to the hostel after school until their parents finished work. Nell and Gladys were the two ladies who ran the hostel and lived in a small house next door. They didn't really bother Lark much, she was old enough to look after herself.  
  
Lark cursed when she saw that Bobby was playing simulation games on the computer. He was only staying for the afternoon, and was an annoying five- year-old kid who wouldn't listen to Nell or Gladys.  
  
"Hey squirt, you done killing the bad guys yet?" She asked, pulling up a seat next to him.  
  
"Go away 'Birdie', I'm winning!" He said. 'Birdie' was his nickname for Lark, because he found it hilariously funny that he was named after a bird.  
  
"Did you know that there was a kid in my home town who was playing a computer game, when the monster jumped out and ate him?" Lark said. This was of course a lie, but Lark knew how to manipulate people to get what she wanted.  
  
"That's a lie!" Bobby said, but his voice quivered slightly.  
  
"No it isn't, this kid was playing the game that you are playing now, when suddenly all the lights went out." Lark whispered, flipping the light switch next to her so that the light did go out. "Then the computer sound got louder." She slowly turned up the volume control. "And finally a monster jumped out of the screen!" She shouted, grabbing Bobby from behind. He screamed.  
  
"Lark, stop it!" He screamed.  
  
"Damn you kid." She said, realising that he wasn't taken in by her prank. "Why don't you believe all that rubbish about monsters under the bed and toilet demons anymore?"  
  
"Cos they don't exist." Bobby said, returning to his game.  
  
Lark sighed, realising that without causing Bobby any physical harm, she wasn't going to get to use the computer. She retired to her room and grabbed her handbag. She met Nell in the doorway.  
  
"I'm just pooping out to the library." Lark explained. "I'll be back later. I've got my key to let myself in."  
  
Nell simply smiled and carried on trying to stop a little girl from pinging the old ladies stockings as she tried to make her way into the kitchen.  
  
Lark was glad to get out into the fresh air as she made her way to the library. It was still quite warm outside as she pushed through the glass doors into the air-conditioned library. She settled herself by a computer, inserted her library ID card and logged on. Then she inserted her disk and began scrolling through reams of text that made her head spin. Eventually she found what she wanted and began her search on the Internet. Looking up her family tree was proving to be more difficult than she had thought.  
  
Meanwhile Dana stood under the marble arches outside Horizon Club and Bar. She was fashionably late, as always. Except Terry was later. She sighed as she looked at her watch in exasperation. He was nearly forty five minutes late. She decided to wait a bit longer, after all she might have got the time wrong.  
  
Panting slightly Terry sped up as he ran through back streets. He had been ready to meet Dana when something had come up. Something being the Jokerz. Of course, Batman doesn't go on dates when banks are being robbed. Terry rounded another corner. If he could just come up with an excuse then maybe Dana would forgive him. He rounded another corner and saw Horizon Bar opposite the street from him. He could just make out Dana leaning against one of the arches.  
  
"Dana!" He called, waiting impatiently for the crossing light to change so that he could cross. It seemed to take ages but eventually he was able to run across. "Dana!" He said, reaching her and leaning against the pillar to catch his breath.  
  
"You're over an hour late." Dana said, not looking at him.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. You won't believe what happened to me."  
  
"You're right, I won't." Dana said, walking away.  
  
"Huh?" He said running over and standing in front of her. "Aren't you going to ask me where I was?"  
  
"No. I know you'll lie to me. To be quite honest, I'd rather you didn't tell me anything then you lying to me.again." She said, still not meeting his gaze. She dodged out around him and continued to walk.  
  
"Dana please." Terry gasped. "I'm here now. Let's go and have some fun, like we used to."  
  
"Yeah, but we never used to be like this." Dana shouted, finally looking at Terry. "I used to mean something to you, and now I feel like I'm playing second fiddle to someone else."  
  
"It isn't like that."  
  
"Really? You never call anymore. We don't go out. We only ever argue."  
  
"We don't argue."  
  
"We're arguing now!" Dana shouted.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry that I have other things to do, but I have to do them." Terry said, raising his voice slightly.  
  
"I have other things to do too!" Dana replied hotly. "But sometimes I make cancellations to make space for us. You are always cancelling on me to make room for something else."  
  
"This isn't what I need right now." Terry said.  
  
"Do you think I want this?" Dana screamed. "Do you think I want to be standing in the street arguing with you?" Her voice softened. "Give me back the old Terry. The one who used to take me out every weekend and buy me flowers and chocolates."  
  
"Things have changed." Terry answered.  
  
"No Terry, you've changed. I've stayed in the same place just to be with you, but you've moved on and left me behind." Dana said quietly. "I don't want to be held back anymore."  
  
"Then change with me. We can move on in our relationship." Terry pleaded.  
  
"I'm not willing to change for you." Dana sighed. "A month ago and I would have. But this has gone too far."  
  
"What's a month?" Asked Terry. "And what's an hour or so? So we make it up some other time."  
  
"Not this time."  
  
"What's so special about this time?" Terry asked.  
  
Dana took his hands. "I don't want to get hurt Terry. But if this goes any further then I will. I don't want it to end on a bad note. I don't want it to end at all. But how long is a piece of string? Endless until someone cuts it."  
  
"I don't understand." Terry said.  
  
"I can't risk letting myself get even more hurt by taking this any further. I'm finishing this before it gets too complicated. I can't go out with you any more Terry." She said sadly.  
  
"But.what brought this on?" Terry asked. "So I was a little late. We'll go out tomorrow."  
  
"But tomorrow will become the next day and soon I won't even see you at all. Besides tonight was special, I can't believe you forgot."  
  
"Forgot what?"  
  
Dana squeezed his hand. "Happy anniversary." She said quietly. She pulled her hands away and walked off. Terry stared down at his hands. In them lay a silver necklace with a blue stone hanging from it. It was the necklace Terry had given Dana for her birthday. Now she had broken up with him, and given back the necklace.  
  
Terry kicked a can on the ground in anger. He stormed home, crashing upstairs without saying a word to his mother or brother. He lay on his bed but didn't go to sleep. Instead he stared at the stars through his window. Being Batman was not his gift, it was his curse. 


	4. 4

Dana made her way aimlessly through the streets of Gotham. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she new that she didn't want to go home yet. Terry could phone her at home, and she didn't want to talk to him right then.  
  
"Dana?" Came a voice from behind her. Dana whirled around to see Lark standing behind her.  
  
"Lark, what are you doing here?" Dana asked, turning away so that Lark couldn't see her tear stained face.  
  
"Coming home from the library." Lark replied. "Are you OK? I thought you were going out with Terry tonight."  
  
"I was." Dana replied. "But now I'm not." She began to cry again. Lark came up beside her and tentatively put an arm round her shoulder.  
  
"Do you want me to walk you home? It's not nice being out on your own at this hour." Lark said kindly. But Dana swallowed and shook her head.  
  
"I don't want to go home early looking like this. I'll get the third degree from my family, and I don't want to talk to them at the moment."  
  
"So where are you going?" Lark asked.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe to the river to make a hole in it!" Joked Dana.  
  
"Do you want to come home with me for a bit?" Lark asked. "There shouldn't be anyone up. The lost boys, the kids at the hostel, will have gone home by now and no one else is staying there overnight apart from the two old ladies."  
  
Dana smiled slightly and nodded. They made their way through the dark side alleys trying to find a way onto the main streets.  
  
"What was that?" Dana asked, jumping out of her skin as a dustbin rattled near them.  
  
"Probably just a cat." Lark replied, but she wasn't entirely sure herself. They walked on quicker.  
  
They were just nearing the end of one particularly dark alley when they found their way blocked by a tall man.  
  
"Hello girls." He said sinisterly. "Got anything nice to give me?" Dana grabbed on to Lark's arm and hid behind her.  
  
"What do we do?" She whispered.  
  
"Run!" Lark shouted. They turned on their heels and sprinted in the opposite direction, only to find two other men blocking their paths. They were trapped!  
  
"What do they want?" Dana asked.  
  
"Funds to pay for their drug addictions probably." Lark replied.  
  
"That's right little missy." One man said, advancing on them. "Now hand over your bags before anyone gets hurt."  
  
"You'll be the one getting hurt." Said a voice from above them. They all looked up to see a figure in black swoop down upon them, knocking the man flying. "Run!" He shouted to the girls as he started fighting the other two men.  
  
"Come on!" Lark said, pulling Dana away by the arm. They ran to the end of the alley.  
  
"But we have to help him!" Dana cried. Lark looked around to see that about five men were now fighting their saviour.  
  
"Stay here!" Lark said, pushing Dana behind some bins. Lark turned around and ran back down the alley.  
  
Batman had beaten two of the men into submission, and they lay groaning on the floor. The other three encircled him. One lashed out, kicking Batman hard in the stomach. Another grabbed Batman from behind while a third picked up a piece of metal piping and began advancing on the Batman. He struggled but he couldn't get free. He closed his eyes expecting to feel the pipe make contact with his body.  
  
He heard a loud thud and a groan. Opening his eyes he saw the man laying on the ground, unconscious, with Lark standing over him hold a brick. He smiled at her and threw the man holding him over his shoulder. The man got up immediately only to find Lark's foot come into contact with his stomach. He groaned and fell to the ground. Meanwhile Batman made short work of the other man. The entire drug gang lay on the ground, either out for the count or too weak and battered to get up.  
  
Dana rushed over to them. "Thank you!" She said to Batman.  
  
"Any time." He said to her, his eyes lingering on her for a moment. He turned to Lark. "And thank you." He said.  
  
"Any time." She replied. Batman's gaze returned to Dana for a moment.  
  
"Don't walk in these side alleys, they're full of freaks like these." He said.  
  
"We noticed." Dana said. "But I think I'll be safe as long as I'm with Lark, how did you do that?"  
  
"You try growing up with two older step brothers." Lark replied.  
  
"Well, anyway, you did well." Batman said. With that he shot upwards and the two girls watched him go. They walked out onto the well lit side walk and walked in silence to Lark's hostel. They waited until they were inside before speaking.  
  
"Lucky he was there." Lark said eventually.  
  
"Yes." Dana whispered dreamily. "He was gorgeous."  
  
"Are you kidding? He could be some ugly mug with three eyes and a snake nose!" Lark joked. "How can you say he is gorgeous if you haven't seen his face?"  
  
"He had a sexy voice." Dana replied. "And he looked at me!"  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Lark admitted. "I wonder who he really is."  
  
"Whoever he is, he can rescue me any day." Dana said.  
  
"What about Terry?" Lark asked. Dana went quiet. "Did you guys have a row?"  
  
"Yes, the worst ever!" Dana said finally, allowing tears to run down her face again. "He promised that he would meet me tonight. He was over an hour late. I don't want to be treated like dirt anymore, so I finished it. He even forgot our anniversary!"  
  
"I'm so sorry." Lark said. "But you've probably done the right thing."  
  
"Really? I'm not so sure." Dana said, accepting the tissue that Lark held out for her to blow her nose.  
  
"Yeah. Us girls have to govern some respect. It sounds to me like he was taking you for granted. Cancelling dates and not giving reasons just isn't good enough. And don't go back to him. Let him crawl to you, but don't take him back. He doesn't deserve you, not until he can treat you like a queen." Lark said. "You're better off without Terry."  
  
"Terry who? Compared to Batman, Terry is nothing. Yesterday's news. Do you think Batman would go out with me? If I asked him?" Dana asked, brightening.  
  
"I don't know, maybe you should wear green tights and change your name to Robin before making a move."  
  
"It's an idea!" Dana said. "I don't suppose you have a black mask?"  
  
"Aww geez, I just threw that out the other day!" Joked Lark. "But unfortunately I must admit that I have the green tights!"  
  
"You're joking!" Dana scoffed.  
  
"Nope. I wore them in a school dance show last year. I was leaf number three!" Lark laughed at the memory. "I got to fall in love with the stick!"  
  
Dana rolled around the floor laughing. "What show was this?"  
  
"A Woodland Tale! With a twist!" Lark giggled. "On the last night the staging fell right over and we had to carry on dancing whilst you could see everyone getting changed backstage. I don't think I'll ever laugh as much again!"  
  
"I'd better go." Dana replied, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "You should audition for the next school play, we're doing a production of Dracula The Musical."  
  
"I'm not really into acting and singing." Lark said. "But I can dance."  
  
"Well all the main parts have been cast, but the dancers haven't been auditioned yet." Dana said. "It would be really cool if you got a part too. I'm in it, playing Dracula's girlfriend."  
  
"Sounds like fun." Lark opened the door and showed Dana out. "Are you going to be OK walking home alone?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I actually hope those guys are still around, I wanna see Batman again and give him my number!" Dana ran off down the street, looking back at Lark who waved until she was out of sight.  
  
Dana let herself in to her house and crept up to bed. The phone by her bed was bleeping with twenty-seven messages. All of them from Terry. Dana paused for a moment, listening to Terry's voice speak to her several times.  
  
"Stop it Dana!" She said to herself, hitting erase. She climbed into bed and the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" She said.  
  
"Dana. Please I have to talk to you." Terry pleaded.  
  
"Sorry Terry. I'm tired now. Perhaps we can talk in the morning." She said, hanging up the phone. Then she picked it up and left it off the hook so Terry couldn't call back. Dana fell asleep quickly, dreaming of Terry crawling to her on bended knee, begging for forgiveness. 


	5. 5

Terry walked into school the next day looked tired and pale, yet again. He stood for a moment in the courtyard, not knowing exactly where to go. He wanted to find Dana, but he was sure that Dana wouldn't want to find him.  
  
He sighed as the bell rung. He would have to talk to Dana later. 'Or now!' He thought, realising that he had his next class, mathematics, with Dana. He quickened his pace and made it inside the maths classroom just as the door was close by Miss Montreal.  
  
"Almost late there Mr McGinnis." She scolded. "Take a seat."  
  
Terry made his way to where he always sat with Dana. Except someone was in his seat. Lark looked up from her textbook to check which page they were working from.  
  
"Dana?" Terry whispered, standing in front of her. Dana didn't look up.  
  
"Mr McGinnis. You are already behind in this class, like many others I hear." Miss Montreal called from the front. "We have numerous discussions about your grades in the staff room. I don't think, clever as you are, that even you can take a class standing with your back to the teacher!" The rest of the class giggled as Terry blushed and took a seat next to Max, a few rows behind Dana.  
  
"Page 32, section 17." Miss Montreal continued. "Trigonometry. Terry, what is the sine rule for any triangle?"  
  
"Um. That all triangles turn right at the next junction?" Terry asked. Some of the class laughed.  
  
"Hilariously funny Mr McGinnis. Had you been in the last lesson however, you would know that the sine rule states that any length of a triangle divided by the sine of the opposite angle will give the answer of the same equation using a different length and angle."  
  
Terry stared blankly at his textbook. He knew that. He had always known that. He just had more important things on his mind.  
  
"Dana, could you please give me the formula for the sine operation of a right angled triangle?" The teacher asked.  
  
'Why does she get the easy one?' Terry thought as Dana answered. "The sine of an angle is equal to the opposite length divided by the hypotenuse."  
  
"Very good Dana. Take note class, turning up to lessons is the only way to pass this subject." Miss Montreal wiped the board clean. "Moving on."  
  
Terry spent the next hour doing complicated calculations and watching Dana. She was doodling on her notebook. He couldn't see exactly what she was drawing.  
  
As the bell rang to signal the end of class, Dana packed away her newly decorated notebook, covered in bats and hearts. She left the room with Lark, laughing about something or other.  
  
"See you later Max. I have to talk to Dana." He said, rushing out of the classroom.  
  
He looked down the corridor that rapidly filled with students. He couldn't see Dana, but he saw a bobbing blonde head that looked like Lark. He ran off after her. He finally caught up, but Dana wasn't with her.  
  
"Lark!" He said, catching her arm and pulling her back. "Where's Dana?"  
  
"Gone to economics, her next class." Lark said. "I thought you two had that lesson together?"  
  
"Of course we do!" Terry said, banging his hand against his head in frustration. "I'm really not with it today." He turned to leave.  
  
"A word of advice Terry." Lark added. He stopped and turned to look at her. "Dana is fed up with the way you are treating her. I wouldn't push it with her."  
  
"Excuse me?" Terry said. "Who asked you to meddle in our relationship?"  
  
"It became my business last night when I spent the evening consoling Dana." Lark said hotly, shifting her bag onto her other shoulder. "She's sick of being treated like dirt by you."  
  
"You know nothing." Terry said, pointing at her in rage.  
  
"Maybe, but I know what I see. Dana has been really nice to me ever since I got here, and I don't want to see her get hurt."  
  
"And you think I do?"  
  
"Maybe not, but you are so wrapped up in your own little world that you don't see how much it hurts Dana when you drop her for something else. Something that you won't even tell her about." Lark replied.  
  
"Dana wouldn't understand what I do. Neither would you." Terry replied, getting angrier at Lark by the minute.  
  
"If you don't understand each other then maybe it would be best to see other people." Lark said. "Now I have to get to class. If you want to get back with Dana you had better win her trust as a friend first."  
  
With that Lark walked off leaving Terry alone in the hallway. He ran to the economics room, and could have kicked himself when he saw that the lesson had already started. He opened the door.  
  
"Terry. Wait outside." Mr Matters ordered. With a sigh Terry closed the door and waited in the hallway. He could see Dana sitting in the classroom, next to Rick Jones. She was smiling and patting his arm. It looked like Dana had already moved on. Rick Jones was Terry's total opposite. Blonde hair and brown eyes, he was the captain of every sports team and had 'school spirit' written all over his forehead. Dana was going a long way to prove a point.  
  
"Terry." Mr Matters said, stepping outside the classroom to talk to him. "This is the third time this month that you have been late to my class. You have already missed some key work too. May I remind you that your final paper needs to be finished by the end of this semester? You only have a couple of weeks to write an impressive enough paper for me to take you in my class next year. If you don't make the cut I shall be forced to reject your application."  
  
"I understand Mr Matters." Terry replied. "But I've had a lot to deal with recently."  
  
"Terry, the other students have lives outside economics too you know. They take other classes, they have jobs. Why can't you manage it but they can?" Mr Matters asked. "I haven't got angry with you Terry, because I know you mean well. But I will loose my temper if this goes on."  
  
"I'll remember that." Terry replied, making tot go into class.  
  
"There's no point in you coming in now Terry, I'm partway through some difficult work and it will only confuse you if come in now." Mr Matters sighed. "Take yourself outside or to the library and read chapter 4 in your text book. Do the questions at the end of the chapter and see me later if you have any problems."  
  
Mr Matters went back into the classroom and Terry slowly walked outside, dragging his feet. He sat on the spectator stands of the games field and opened his textbook. He couldn't concentrate. He looked up and watched the Games lesson going on. A group of students were doing high jump. Terry watched. He could see that the entire class was made up of boys, as girls never took up Games because they couldn't take the pressure.  
  
But there was a girl in this class. Terry squinted as he spotted her. It was Lark!  
  
"Hmm, she won't last five minutes!" Terry laughed to himself as he watched the coach put up the high jump. It was now really high. About five boys made a run at it and couldn't make it over. It was Lark's turn. Terry could see the other boys sniggering, knowing that the smaller girl would never make it over a bar that was taller than her. Terry watched Lark take a run up and stop before reaching the bar. Terry wanted Lark to fail, especially after how she had spoken to him that day. But some part of him wanted her to prove him, and all the other boys, wrong.  
  
She shook her head and took another run up. Terry held his breath as he watched her leave the ground in an attempt to clear the bar. Her head was over, now her back and finally her legs and feet. The bar didn't even move.  
  
Some of the boys stared in awe. Others started to clap. Lark got up and bowed to them and they laughed and clapped harder. Mr Collins interrupted their applause.  
  
"Alright class. Nothing special here. Make two laps of the perimeter and hit the showers!" He called. Everyone set off at a run, the boys sprinting ahead. Terry watched Lark running at the back, slower than the taller boys who had more stamina.  
  
As they neared the end of the run Terry watched Lark overtake some of the trailing boys. Then she was in the middle. She was sprinting the last part of the course. She obviously knew that her smaller size meant that she could run faster, but not for as long at high speeds. 'Like a cheetah' Terry thought as Lark finished in about seventh place out of twenty.  
  
"Nice run boys.and Lark." Mr Collins said, not used to having a girl in his class. "Hit the showers!"  
  
Terry watched as some of the boys clapped Lark across the back in congratulations. Other jealously ignored her. The boys went into the boys' locker room and Lark made her way into the girls' entrance. Terry climbed off of the stands and made his way back to the courtyard, hoping to meet Max and Dana for lunch.  
  
The bell rang and Dana emerged from the economics classroom along with the other students. They all filtered out into the courtyard. Dana met Max and walked over to one of the benches. Lark emerged from the locker room, rubbing her hair dry on a towel after her shower. Terry walked quickly over to where the three girls were standing.  
  
"Dana can we talk?" He asked.  
  
"Gee, I'd love to Terry." She said, as normally as possible. "But I promised Lark that I'd watch her audition for the play."  
  
With that the two girls walked off coolly, as if nothing was wrong between Dana and Terry.  
  
Max walked up next to Terry and offered him a crisp. "True or false, all is fair in love and war?" She asked.  
  
"I'll get back to you on that one." Terry replied.  
  
AN - Thanks for all the reviews guys. Blackcat I have no idea what you mean about the black canary but it sounds intriguing, please enlighten me!!! 


	6. 6

"You look. I'm too nervous!" Lark pleaded Dana. It was a week later and they were standing in the hallway near the drama notice board.  
  
"I thought you said the audition went really well." Dana said. "So what's the problem?"  
  
"Because if I look at that board and my name is not on it, then I will just break down. But if someone tells me I can just shrug it off. Trust me it makes a big difference." Lark replied.  
  
"OK." Dana walked over to the notice board. The audition results for dancers in the show were up, and Lark was really nervous. She wanted a part more than she told anyone. "Oh my God!" Dana screamed. "You got it!"  
  
"What?" Lark asked, running over.  
  
"Look! You're the lead dancer!" Dana cried. "You're the Night Queen!"  
  
"What?" Lark looked at her name on the board. "But I didn't want a speaking part."  
  
"You don't speak though!" Dana explained. "The Night Queen is a all powerful vampire who can't talk. It's an amazing part!"  
  
Lark and Dana were still jumping around in the corridor when the drama teacher, Miss McCracken, walked past.  
  
"I see you found out your part!" She smiled at Lark. "Well done. You were clearly the best at the audition. You'll have an understudy though, same as everyone else." She smiled. "We can't be too careful after all."  
  
Lark and Dana walked out of the building, smiles plastered over their faces. "I can't believe we've both been cast as lead characters!" Dana said excitedly. "And almost all of our scenes are together, so we'll rehearse together. Isn't that great?"  
  
"I'm so excited!" Lark said. "And we get understudies. It sounds so posh!"  
  
"Don't be so excited about that." Dana replied. "It's common knowledge that most understudies are twisted and jealous and only want to get rid of the actor so they can play their part."  
  
"Ooohhh, so sinister!" Lark joked. "Whose your understudy anyway?"  
  
"Kimberly Bagley." Dana replied.  
  
"Hey I have chemistry with her, she actually scares me!" Lark shivered. "On our first lesson she set fire to her text book and then let it burn on the desk. She just watched it. It was weird!"  
  
"Yeah, well I'm so calm about having a pyromaniac as a understudy. I'm sure that she would never try to kill me just to get the part!" Dana said sarcastically. "At least your understudy isn't too bad."  
  
"Yeah. I can never remember her name. She's that really quiet girl who just blends into the background. I don't think many people know that she even exists!" Lark replied. "Do you have a rehearsal schedule?" They crossed the street on the way home.  
  
"Here." Dana said, passing her a piece of paper. "They start tomorrow after school. We rehearse every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday until a week before the show, and then it's every day."  
  
"I've got lunchtime dance rehearsals too." Lark sighed. "On top of the fact that Coach Collins wants me to compete in the inter schools gymnastics next semester. I'm gonna be worn out."  
  
"You'll be fine." Dana said, as they reached Lark's house. "And if you ever need any help with school work, you are in most of my classes, I'll give you help any time."  
  
"Thanks Dana." Lark said, opening her mailbox. "Hey, what's this?" She pulled out a couple of magazines that she normally got through subscription and an official looking brown envelope. She turned it over. The stamp on the back said 'Wilson's Wills and Testimonies.'  
  
"What's up?" Dana asked.  
  
"Oh nothing. It's probably something about me making a will or something. Or some left over information from my step mother's will." Lark replied casually.  
  
"Heap of fun!" Dana rolled her eyes. "See you tomorrow." She walked off down the street. Lark picked up the rest of her mail and shut the door behind her. A mob of kids immediately flew at her.  
  
"Lark, will you play with me?"  
  
"Birdie, can you fix the computer?"  
  
"Lark, Tom just stole my dolly!"  
  
"I did not. Tell her to leave me alone Larky!"  
  
"Be quiet!" She said loudly, not even looking up as she made her way across to the stairs. "Jean, I don't have time to play with you right now so go and play with Betty. Bobby, try turning the computer on at the wall. Tom, if you stole Anna's doll then give it back. If you didn't then help her to find it!"  
  
Having installed peace into the children she went into her bedroom and locked the door behind her. She sat on her bed and stared at the brown envelope in her hands. Eventually she opened it curiously. An official looking letter fell into her lap. She opened it and read.  
  
"Dear Miss Robertson. Further to the unfortunate passing of your late step mother Annabel Rickard, we have seen that the will and testimony have been dealt with. However further matters have arisen concerning the wills of both Mrs Rickard, Mr Robertson your father, and your late grandmother Alicia Robertson. We have arranged a meeting to discuss these issues with you on 2nd June at 4:00pm. Please arrive promptly. Yours sincerely Wilson and Sons."  
  
Frowning, Lark got out her diary and pencilled in the date. She would have to leave school early to get to the solicitors office. Still brooding on the matter, Lark got out her English homework and began to read the set scene for the next day. It was to be the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. They were going to be acting it in class the next day. 


	7. 7

Terry sat in English trying not to fall asleep. Being Batman was his life, but it always made him grumpy when this meant spending almost all night awake fighting Gotham's criminals.  
  
"Good day class." Miss McCracken greeted them. "Your teacher Mr Potnik called in sick today, so I'll be taking your English lesson this morning." Terry shook his head to wake himself up. Dana and Lark were sitting a few rows in front of him. They were wide-awake. Terry wearily opened his book at the correct page.  
  
"Right, we don't have much time. As you know I'm a drama teacher so I won't be teaching you complicated English theories today, if there are any!" Mr McCracken laughed. "I hear that you are working on the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. So if I can get two volunteers we will act out this scene in front of the class." She looked around, but as ever no one volunteered. "Fine, I'll have to choose someone."  
  
Everyone looked down at his or her desks, not meeting her eye. "Let's see, to play Juliet let's have.Lark!" Lark groaned slightly and made her way to the front of the class. "And as Romeo we'll have Terry!"  
  
Terry's groan was audible. He dragged his feet as he made his way to the front of the class.  
  
"Now then. Let go of all your inhibitions. For the next few minutes, you two are star-crossed lovers." Miss McCracken sighed. "I want no holding back. And Mr McGinnis, when the stage directions say kiss her, I want you to kiss her." Some of the class giggled at this, but Dana didn't look too happy.  
  
"Miss McCracken." Terry protested.  
  
"No excuses Mr McGinnis, unless you have some fatal disease that you will pass on to Lark by kissing her on the cheek." Miss McCracken clapped her hands. "Begin!"  
  
"What light from yonder window breaks." Terry began.  
  
"No! With feeling!" McCracken shouted.  
  
Terry began again, somehow managing to work some feeling into his speech. They followed the stage directions completely until it came to a part where Romeo kisses Juliet. Terry paused for a moment, not really wanting to kiss Lark, but knowing Miss McCracken would probably fail him if he didn't. Leaning over he pecked her on the cheek and continued his lines.  
  
'Hey, that wasn't so bad.' He thought. They carried on acting. They had a true on stage chemistry between them, enthralling the audience. Apart from Dana, she looked on angrily as Terry kissed Lark again, this time closer to her lips.  
  
They continued the scene, with Miss McCracken reading in any other lines. Eventually they came to the last part where Romeo has to kiss Juliet for the last time. Terry leaned over for the final time, but as Lark moved towards him her foot got entangled in a computer wire that ran across the floor. She fell forwards slightly, and Terry's kiss that was aimed for her cheek, landed instead full on her lips. As she fell forwards he caught her so they looked like they were in a passionate embrace.  
  
"Beautiful!" Miss McCracken cried, tears running down her face. The rest of the class wolf whistled and cheered as Terry and Lark broke apart, blushing slightly. "I award you both with an A. I shall be telling Mr Potnik about your excellent acting abilities." The bell rang for the end of the lesson.  
  
"Miss Robertson, may I talk to you for a moment?" Miss McCracken asked.  
  
"Wait for me outside." Lark said to Dana, not noticing the icy stare that Dana was giving her.  
  
Dana left the classroom and went over to her locker to put away her books. She hid her face as Terry walked past to go to his next lesson. She closed her locker, fuming, and waited for Lark to emerge from the English room. When she did she was blushing.  
  
"What did McCracken want?" Dana asked stiffly.  
  
"She was asking why I didn't audition for an acting part in the play." Blushed Lark. "She says I have natural talent."  
  
"Hmm." Dana said tersely.  
  
"Are you OK?" Lark asked.  
  
"Enjoyed that did you?" Dana asked.  
  
"What? Of course I did, I like to be complimented now and again." Lark replied.  
  
"Not that. Doing that scene, with Terry!" Dana said irritably.  
  
"Well it wasn't too bad." Lark said naively.  
  
"You fancy him don't you?" Dana shouted. "You made me stay away from him so that you could have your shot!"  
  
"No!" Lark replied. "I wouldn't. Besides, he's not my type."  
  
"Really?" Dana asked sarcastically. "So you didn't enjoy him kissing you and deliberately fall into his arms?"  
  
"Of course not. I tripped. He caught me. End of story." Lark replied.  
  
"How convenient." Dana replied tetchily.  
  
"Don't you believe me?" Lark asked.  
  
"Oh yes. I'm falling over myself to believe you!" Dana spoke sarcastically again.  
  
"Look I don't have time to argue with you." Lark said hotly. "I'm not after Terry so you can relax. I don't see the problem; you're not even going out with him anymore. You've got a date with Rick Jones tonight!" Lark walked off to her next lesson leaving Dana in a huff, standing in the middle of the empty corridor.  
  
Lark and Dana did not see each other again until school had finished. Lark had had a dance rehearsal at lunch and they were in different lessons that afternoon. Dana walked into the drama rehearsal room to find Lark already there.  
  
"Hey." She said, walking over to where Lark was pulling a change of clothes so she could dance.  
  
"Hey." Lark replied.  
  
"Look, I want to apologise for what I said earlier." Dana said, not looking at Lark. Instead she pulled off her shoes and put on some comfy trainers. "I didn't mean to suggest that you and Terry were.I mean."  
  
"Don't sweat it." Lark replied. "It's water under the bridge."  
  
"I know that you don't fancy Terry. It's just that I'm not totally over him yet, and I don't like to think of him with another girl." Dana admitted.  
  
"Can I say something without you taking it the wrong way?" Lark asked. "I don't mean to be rude or picky, but if you can't face seeing Terry with another girl, do you think it is such a good idea to be going out with another guy tomorrow?"  
  
"I see what you mean." Dana said. "But that's different. Terry was the one who neglected me, which is why I broke up with him. It's more his fault than mine. I don't think he liked me as much as I liked him when we split up. Going out with other guys is just my way of getting over him."  
  
"I see. So Rick Jones, he's just a rebound?" Lark asked.  
  
"No." Dana admitted. "Well, sort of. I always liked him anyway, and now I'm free to date him. I mean, Terry was a rebound of mine and look how long we dated."  
  
"Good point." Lark said as Miss McCracken came in and the other cast members turned to face her.  
  
"Right then, let's begin." She said clapping her hands. "OK, we'll start with the opening dance number. The dancers learnt a bit of that at lunchtime, I'm just going to show you where you will be standing at certain points today."  
  
They worked hard for about an hour, and Dana was amazed by how well Lark could dance. She had a certain presence that made you just look at her. Years of dance and gymnastics had obviously paid off.  
  
Suddenly, just as they were starting a section again, all the lights went out. The room was plunged into darkness. Several people screamed and fell over each other in a panic.  
  
"Who is there?"  
  
"You're on my foot!"  
  
"Get your hand away from there!"  
  
"Sorry. Ouch!"  
  
Eventually someone managed to get over to the light switch and the room was bathed in light. Dana disentangled herself from the guy playing Dracula, Stuart, and got up. She helped Lark to stand up. Kimberley Bagley, Dana's understudy, had managed to reach the light switch.  
  
"Great joke!" Laughed Miss McCracken sarcastically.  
  
"Uh Miss, I don't think it was a joke." Lark was standing by the notice board, staring at something pinned on it. Someone had pinned a piece of paper up, with a knife. There was writing on the paper, Lark squinted to read it.  
  
"This production at Milton Hill will be the last. Terror remains and has been awakened, more terrible than ever. Cancel the play now, or one by one you will all die. Dracula shall be vanquished, but good will not triumph. If you value your blood and your lives I suggest you stop this before it's too late.Signed Dracula's Nemesis."  
  
"Friendly!" Dana commented.  
  
"It's just some hollow threat and a stupid trick being played by a jealous person who didn't make the cast list." Said Miss McCracken. "I think we'll end rehearsal here for today. See you next time!" She left, obviously to report this 'hollow threat' to the principle.  
  
The other cast members packed up their things, wondering who Dracula's Nemesis could be.  
  
"You coming Lark?" Dana asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'll just get changed." Lark replied. The rest of the cast left and Lark was left alone in the room. Instead of getting changed she pulled out a handkerchief from her bag and pulled the knife out of the wall. She wrapped the knife in the handkerchief at placed it carefully in her bag. Then she picked up the note and pocketed. She took a final look around the classroom before she picked up her stuff and left.  
  
"I thought you were getting changed?" Dana asked, seeing that Lark was still in her dance clothes.  
  
"Oh, I couldn't be bothered." Lark replied. "Let's get an ice cream or something. I'm starving!" 


	8. 8

Lark jumped off of the train and walked the two blocks to Wilson and Sons Solicitors. She had managed to cut school slightly early, complaining of a stomachache that she needed to go home to get special pills for. Now she sat in the waiting room, feeling decidedly uncomfortable in a smart black suit with a white shirt and posh shoes.  
  
"Miss Robertson?" A tall, young man emerged from one office. Lark nodded and stood up, shaking his hand. "Please step into my office. My name is Mr Wilson."  
  
"Junior I presume." She said, noting his youthful looks and good bone structure. He brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and offered her a seat.  
  
"Junior junior." He smiled. "I am the grandson of the original Mr Wilson."  
  
"Keep things in the family, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, well." He smiled and opened a computer file. "This is rather complicated so I'll try to explain it simply. When your father died almost nine years ago his money was placed in a trust for you to access when you are eighteen, no problems there. After this however his mother, your grandmother Alicia Robertson, changed her will, leaving something special to you rather than her son.  
  
When she died you were still not old enough to receive this something. So it was placed in the care of your stepmother until you reached the age of sixteen, when your grandmother stated that you could receive this. However complications with your stepmother's will meant that this 'something' was over looked.  
  
We have located it and have checked all the paper work. Everything seems in order so all you have to do is sign to say that you have received it and you can go."  
  
Lark sat silently for a while. "So my father was meant to give this to me, but he died so my grandmother took control, but she died, so my stepmother tooki it?"  
  
"In a nutshell, yes." Mr Wilson smiled. "I have never run into something so complicated in my life."  
  
"So what is this 'something?'" Lark asked. "Money, shares, a prized possession?"  
  
"I am not sure. It's a box with a letter attached if that helps. We are not permitted to read the letter or open the box so at the moment I know as much as you do. If you can just sign this paper work I'll retrieve the box for you."  
  
Mr Wilson handed Lark a form which she filled in whilst he left the room. As she signed at the bottom he returned with a box, about for times the size of a shoebox, with a letter attached.  
  
"Here you go." He handed her the box. "Everything seems to be in order with the paperwork so you can go."  
  
He stood up and shook hands with her, smiling. She left quickly and ran the two blocks to catch the train. Once on the train she didn't want to open the package, not in public anyway. It took up an entire seat on the train, much to the annoyance of some of the other passengers.  
  
It was getting dark by the time her train pulled up at Gotham station. A summer storm was brewing and Lark could feel the warm breeze had a fiercer strength than usual. She hurried to run home, but opted for the main streets rather than the short cut through the dark alleyways. Because it took her longer she was still out in the open when it began to rain.  
  
The rain beat down on her, soaking her through in seconds. Huddler over her package to keep it dry she sprinted the last block and stooped under the porch, fumbling for her keys. She let herself in quickly and realised that everyone was already in bed, everyone being the two old ladies.  
  
She climbed the stairs unaware of the trail of water that she left behind her. She went into her room and dumped the package on the bed. She walked through to the bathroom and began running a hot bath. She changed out of her wet clothes in to a warm dressing gown and ran her fingers through her wet hair. She turned off the taps and was just about to step in to the bath when she heard a noise in her room.  
  
"Hello?" She put her head round the Ensuite bathroom door and looked into the room, but no one was there. Frowning slightly she returned to the bathroom, but was sure that she could hear someone moving in her room. Putting this down to tiredness she picked up a bottle of talcum powder and walked out to her bed. She bent down next to her bed and pulled out a towel from under it.  
  
Quick as a flash she whirled around and squeezed the talcum powder containing, shooting a puff of it into the air, settling on her intruder's face.  
  
"Most people knock." She said angrily when she realised who it was. Batman coughed. The talcum powder had stuck to him, making him partially visible. He pressed a button on his belt and returned to full view.  
  
"Good trick." He replied.  
  
She wrapped her dressing gown tightly around her. "So what are you doing in my bedroom? Are you some kind of strange pervert when you're not saving Gotham?"  
  
"No." He replied. "But I heard some gossip on the grapevine and I wanted to get to the bottom of it."  
  
"Look if you want gossip you should talk to Dana, the other girl you saved the other day, she's better with socialising than I am." Lark replied.  
  
"I've already found out the word on the street." Batman said. "I just need your assistance. I have a feeling you have something of interest to me."  
  
She backed off slightly, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her again. "If you even try it I'll scream and people will come."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you." Batman backed away from her to give her some space. "I heard about the threat from Dracula's Nemesis."  
  
"Oh that." Lark sat down on her bed in relief. "So I take it from your involvement that you don't think it's a hollow threat either?"  
  
"Better safe than sorry." Batman answered. "Anyway, I heard about the note, but no one had seen it since. Someone removed it from the school grounds. I was hoping you could help me here."  
  
"Why me?" Lark asked.  
  
"Come on Lark. From what I saw the other day, you have more common sense than most people your age, and a cool head in a crisis. Don't tell me you didn't find that note a little bit suspicious."  
  
"You seem to just about have the measure of me." Lark replied.  
  
"Then you do have the knife and note?" Batman asked.  
  
"Is that what you were looking for?" She asked. Batman nodded. Lark sighed and opened one of her drawers. She pulled out all the clothes. "You could have just asked you know, I would have helped you."  
  
"I couldn't be sure I could trust you. How do I know that you weren't something to do with it, you were in the room at the time after all."  
  
"And how do I know that you aren't Dracula's Nemesis just trying to cover your tracks?" Lark asked in return.  
  
"I guess we will just have to trust each other for now." Batman replied. Lark had removed all of her clothes from the drawer and was running her fingers around the edges. There was a small click and Lark removed the bottom of the drawer to reveal a secret compartment. "Clever." Batman murmured.  
  
"Here." Lark pulled out the still wrapped up knife and the note. "I didn't touch the knife in case you wanted to check for finger prints."  
  
"Thank you." Batman accepted the evidence. "I'll be going."  
  
"Wait!" Lark called as he made to open the window. "If you find out anything, anything at all. Just let me know OK?"  
  
"Why would I do that?" Batman asked.  
  
"So that I can be on guard at rehearsals, unless you are going to supervise them all?" She asked.  
  
Batman considered for a moment before answering. "I'll be in touch." He climbed through the window and disappeared into the night. Lark watched him go before closing the window. Turning around she spotted the package still on her bed. Intrigued she pulled off the wet paper and viewed the box with caution. She opened the letter and red. It was from her grandmother. As she read on her jaw dropped. She sat on the bed in shock before turning to the box. She opened a corner of it and pulled out the contents. Thinking quickly she stuffed it, along with the letter, into the false compartment in her chest of drawers and closed it up. She replaced all her clothes slowly and returned to the bathroom.  
  
She let the warm water wash over her cold body, slipping into a relaxed state. She let the water run through her hands as she thought about the items in her chest of drawers. She would have to think a lot before she got the courage to use them and to act on what her grandmother suggested in the letter. 


	9. 9

The next night Lark was sitting in bed reading when she heard a knocking at her window. She opened the curtains to find Batman staring at her. She opened the window and let him in.  
  
"Well, this is romantic." She joked. "Did you bring any flowers?"  
  
Batman ignored her. "We ran some tests on the knife and note."  
  
"We?" Lark asked.  
  
"My superior and I." Batman replied.  
  
"Your predecessor as Batman?" Lark asked.  
  
"That's the guy. Anyway whoever was doing this is very clever. They used gloves when handling the knife. No fingerprints." Batman explained.  
  
"Either that or whoever it is doesn't have fingerprints."  
  
Batman looked at her with some respect. "Good point, and certainly not worth ruling out. But we have one vital clue, whoever it is, they are left- handed. See the note?" He held it out to Lark. "The ink is smudged from left to right, suggesting that the person writes with their left hand and so as they write their hand runs over the wet ink, smudging it."  
  
"And the ink type, paper type?" Lark asked.  
  
"Nothing special. Ordinary ink and paper." Batman replied.  
  
"Hmm." Lark looked at the knife and the note. "I don't think we can rely on the idea that the person is left handed."  
  
"Why?" Batman asked.  
  
"The way the knife was holding the paper against the wall." Lark found a piece of cardboard and tacked it up on the wall. She put the piece of paper on it and used the knife to keep it in place. "That's exactly how I found the knife and note. The knife is sticking in at angle look, the blade is pointing to the left, which would suggest that a right-handed person stuck the knife in."  
  
"Or a left handed person trying to cover their tracks." Batman added.  
  
"Or a right handed person trying to confuse us by writing with their left hand to change their hand writing." Lark said.  
  
"Or it's two people." Batman said finally.  
  
"Exactly. I don't think we can rely on that as a lead." Lark sighed. "We don't have much to go on. The lights were out for such a long time, anyone could have come in and out. When we rebooted the light system everyone had moved around, you couldn't have told if anyone had been near the wall."  
  
"Do you think it was someone in the room?" Batman asked.  
  
"Maybe, but it would be difficult for them to crash the lighting system."  
  
"But easier for them to plant the note." Batman added. "And vice versa if it was someone who wasn't in the room." He walked back over to the window. "I have to go. Keep an eye out at rehearsals, just in case."  
  
"I will." Lark replied as he climbed onto the window ledge. "If you find out anything else let me know. Wait!" She called as he made to jump. "What if I find out something and have to tell you? How will I contact you?"  
  
"I'll know if you need to talk to me." Batman replied.  
  
"And if you don't?"  
  
"I will." He jumped and Lark watched him fly through the night sky.  
  
"So, what are you planning on doing today?" Dana asked. It was a Sunday nearly three weeks later. Rehearsals went ahead as normal for the play and no more death notes appeared during rehearsals, so Lark had almost entirely forgotten about the entire thing. But one thing was still troubling her, and this was the contents of the bottom of her chest of drawers.  
  
"I don't know. I've finished my homework." Lark twiddled the phone cord around her finger as she lay on her bed talking to Dana. "Are you going out with Rick?"  
  
"He's taking me on a surprise date, I don't know where we are going yet."  
  
"I can't believe you two have lasted so long. No offence, but I thought Rick was just a rebound to you." Lark admitted.  
  
"Well, so did I. But it turns out we really clicked, more than I did with Terry."  
  
"I'm glad you two are still friends." Lark replied.  
  
"Me too, it makes everything much easier. I'm surprised he hasn't got a new girlfriend though." Dana picked at her chicken sandwich as she talked to Lark.  
  
"Well, it's only been a month, and as you said he seems to have more important things than girlfriends." Lark said.  
  
"Yeah, working for Mr Wayne must really be hard. Still I bet he gets paid well." Dana added.  
  
"What? Did you say Mr Wayne? As in Bruce Wayne?" Lark asked.  
  
"Yeah, that's billionaire who started Wayne Enterprises. Why?" Dana asked.  
  
"No reason, I just keep hearing his naming cropping up. What does Terry do for him?"  
  
"I don't know." Dana admitted. "He never really told me. Probably something to do with Wayne's business. His business was his life you know."  
  
"Yeah, my grandma told me in a letter once." Lark said, glancing at her chest of drawers, her mind racing.  
  
"Your granny knew Bruce Wayne when he was younger?" Dana asked. "Cool. I bet he was such a heartthrob. My mum told me that every girl in Gotham wanted to date him. And now he's practically a recluse. He barely leaves that huge mansion of his."  
  
"Yeah, listen Dana I have to go. I suddenly remembered that I booked a computer at the library to do more family research." Lark said quickly.  
  
"OK. Have you got anywhere with that yet?" Dana asked.  
  
"One name in particular keeps cropping up." Lark said. "But I need to do something really, really big to check it out."  
  
"What, like go and talk to them? Scary!" Dana gasped.  
  
"Yeah, something like that." Lark admitted. "I have to go. Bye!"  
  
A few hours later Terry pulled off his mask in the safety of the Batcave.  
  
"Do you want to tell me what happened out there?" Bruce asked. "I lost the video link when that guy hit you round the head."  
  
"To be honest I'm not sure." Terry replied.  
  
"Be sure." Bruce said shortly.  
  
"Well, I got rid of the three sidekicks no problem. But the big guy caused me some problems." Terry wracked his brains trying to remember exactly what happened. "I remember I knocked him into a wall, but the place was a derelict building sight and the wall wasn't stable, so it began to collapse."  
  
"What happened then?"  
  
"There was some gas trapped between the walls. I don't think it was poisonous."  
  
"It was some form of chloroform, an old drug used to sedate patients. The derelict building was the old hospital." Bruce explained.  
  
"Yeah, well the gas went to my head I think. The last thing I remember was feeling hazy and falling to the ground, but that whole place was coming down." Terry replied. "Then I woke up on top of a nearby building and the police were carting this guy to prison and he had been tied up."  
  
"And you don't remember doing this?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Unless I was sleep walking it wasn't me." Terry replied.  
  
"Sleep walking under the influence of chloroform is unlikely. So we must assume that there was a third party involved." Bruce sat down and rubbed his chin.  
  
"Well, it's not any of this guy's gang, because he wouldn't be in prison and I would be buried under two tons of rubble." Terry said. "Hang on. I remember something. I think I came round briefly and someone was with me. I just remember a haze of red before everything went black again."  
  
"I think that we will just have to accept that someone else intervened, for now anyway." Bruce turned away. "Go home and get some rest, the effects of chloroform can last a long time. And if you remember anything else about your strange saviour."  
  
"You'll be the first to know." Terry got changed behind some screens and emerged dressed in normal clothes.  
  
"Any more news on Dracula's Nemesis?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Nothing. I had my friend on the lookout but she told Batman that nothing was amiss." Terry replied.  
  
"Just don't get her involved." Bruce replied. "The last thing we need is having another of your friends knowing your secret." 


	10. 10

"OK, try it again." Sighed Miss McCracken. "Only this time move and speak."  
  
It was another week or so later and Dana sat on the sidelines watching her understudy, Kim, practise her part. Understudies were just a precaution. They learned a person's part just in case the person got ill at the last minute and the understudy could step in and do the part. It wasn't the best part to have; you would turn up to every rehearsal but usually not get to perform.  
  
Kim began walking across the stage again, talking to Dracula. Lark stood in the background waiting for her next dance number. Unfortunately she was waiting in vain, Kim just couldn't get this one part of the play, this was already the eighth attempt.  
  
"Stop!" Miss McCracken called wearily. "Everybody take five. Have a drink everyone."  
  
The cast jumped off of the stage and rushed over to the refreshment stand, eager to get a drink. Everyone's own drink bottles stood on the side, no one shared a bottle in case of spreading any infections that could render the whole cast with sore throats and raging temperatures.  
  
"So how was your date with Rick last night?" Lark asked.  
  
"Wonderful, he took me to a romantic restaurant and paid for a meal. He really is a wonderful boyfriend." Dana took a swig of her drink and offered Lark some, but Lark had already had a lot to drink today and wasn't thirsty. She had her own bottle of water anyway.  
  
"Oh no!" Lark and Dana turned around to see that Kim had dropped her drink. It spilled out onto the floor.  
  
"Don't worry." Dana grabbed some tissues and mopped up the spill. Kim sat down heavily on a chair. "I don't know what's up with me today, I just can't concentrate."  
  
"Hey don't worry. Everyone has bad days." Lark said. Noticing Kim's red face and sweaty forehead she offered her a drink from her own bottle. "Here, have mine. I'm not thirsty and I've got a spare in my bag."  
  
"Thanks." Kim swallowed about half the bottle in a few gulps.  
  
"Back to work guys!" Shouted Miss McCracken.  
  
"Slave driver." Kim whispered, about to finish the bottle.  
  
"I'd save some for later if I were you." Dana said before Kim could take a sip. "I don't think Lark has another spare."  
  
"Besides, it's really bad for you to drink loads in one go." Lark said. "Little sips only."  
  
They got up and returned to their positions. From the back of the stage Lark watched Kim try again to get it right. She could have clapped when Kim finished the section without one falter.  
  
"Well done Kim!" Miss McCracken clapped. "Are you OK?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Kim replied. A second later she swayed on the spot and collapsed on the floor.  
  
"Oh my God!" Shrieked Miss McCracken. "Someone call an ambulance."  
  
Lark and Dana rushed over to where Kim was lying. "She's still alive." Lark observed, checking for a pulse. "But her heart is racing and she's really hot."  
  
"Open some windows and get a blanket!" Dana called to some other cast members. "What's wrong with her?" She asked Lark. Lark only frowned and put Kim into the recovery position. Twenty minutes later the ambulance carted Kim off and the cast members stood around stunned.  
  
"What brought that on?" Stuart, who was playing Dracula asked.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Lou, his understudy, replied. "Dracula's Nemesis has struck again."  
  
"Don't be silly." Miss McCracken replied. "I'm sure that Kim will be fine. She's probably suffering from exhaustion or something. I think we should finish rehearsal here for today."  
  
Lark gathered her things together. She crossed to the drinks table and picked up the half full bottle of water that she had given Kim. Frowning she placed the bottle in her bag and left.  
  
Late that evening Lark opened her bedroom window to let Batman in. "I thought you would show tonight." She said, closing the window behind him.  
  
"I heard about what happened at your rehearsal." He said.  
  
"Yeah, it was scary." Lark sat down at her desk. "Have the hospital found out anything?"  
  
"Kim will be fine, when she gets out of intensive care. The hospital found high levels of toxin in her body."  
  
"Natural toxins?" Lark asked.  
  
"No, an artificial one called Dextorine." Batman replied.  
  
"Tasteless and colourless?" Lark asked.  
  
"Yes, why?" Batman asked.  
  
"Here." Lark threw the half full water bottle to Batman. "You may want to test this for Dextorine. Kim had some just before she collapsed."  
  
"And you think that someone planted it there for her?" Batman asked.  
  
"Not for her. For me. That was my bottle. That poison was meant for me and I gave it to Kim and now she's in intensive care." Lark said angrily.  
  
"Don't beat yourself up about it. It wasn't your fault. Count yourself lucky. At least you know that you were the target, and now you can be extra careful." Batman said.  
  
"You're making me feel a whole lot better." Lark said sarcastically.  
  
"Well, you should know the truth. Keep on the lookout. Tell everyone only to drink from unopened bottles."  
  
"There's hardly much point. Lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place. I don't think that our friend will try the same trick twice." Lark said.  
  
"Good point." Batman crossed to the window. "You are good at this sort of thing."  
  
"Maybe it's just in my blood." Lark joked.  
  
"Just keep your blood in your body, not spread all over the stage." Batman said. "I'll get back to you about the Dextorine. Be careful."  
  
He left and Lark sat on her bed. So she was the target. Or she had been. Dracula's Nemesis could have just been making a random attack. Either way she would have to be extra careful.  
  
Later that evening Terry was getting changed back into normal clothes in the Batcave.  
  
"Did you run the test on Lark's water?" He asked Bruce.  
  
"Yes, it was positive. She was the target." Bruce replied.  
  
"I thought so, so did she." Terry said. "Lucky escape."  
  
"Speaking of escapes, do you want to tell me about your latest lucky escape?"  
  
"It was strange. I was in the warehouse fighting the Jokerz after their bank robbery. I saw one of them come up behind me reflected in some broken glass, but another one was keeping my busy from in front. When I dealt with him and looked around the guy behind me was lying on the ground with a huge lump on his head." Terry said. "And I couldn't see anyone around."  
  
"Another visit from your phantom guardian angel." Bruce said. "That's the fifth time this week. We need to know who they are, and more importantly what interest they have in saving you all the time."  
  
"For the moment can't we just accept that I have someone watching my back?" Terry asked as he left. "I quite like having a sidekick of sorts."  
  
"Yeah, well don't rely on them to be there all the time." Bruce replied as Terry left. 


	11. 11

"Right everyone settle down." Miss McCracken shouted to the cast. "Firstly I have news about Kim." The cast members stopped their chatter to listen. "The doctors say that she is making good progress. Hopefully she will be out of intensive care by next week. However she will not be well enough to do the play in two weeks time. Dana, I'm afraid that we are going to have to continue without an understudy for your part and just hope that nothing goes wrong."  
  
The cast murmured uneasily and Lark nudged Dana. "Don't worry, we are all looking out for each other now." She whispered reassuringly.  
  
"Anyway on to our first technical rehearsal. We have all the lighting and staging set up ready for a first rehearsal." Miss McCracken indicated the elaborate set on the stage and impressive light rig. "We won't do the lighting check until next week when we have the dress rehearsals. Your costumes are ready by the way."  
  
This caused a lot of excitement among the cast, which eventually simmered down. "So let us start with the dancers. Get into your positions on stage for the opening number, and try not to fall over any of the set!"  
  
The dancers ran into position. Lark took her place at the back of the hall. At the start of the dance she had to make her way up the aisle doing cartwheels, flips and handsprings. The aim of this was that she would end up on the stage just as the music really kicked in and she led the dancers for the first number.  
  
As the music began slowly Lark began making her way forward, somersaulting and cart wheeling her way forwards. Suddenly she stopped dead.  
  
"Cut! What is wrong?" Miss McCracken asked irritably.  
  
"Someone had better put a chair over this bit of floor." Lark said. She ran a finger down it. "Someone has put grease on the floor, someone could have a nasty accident."  
  
"Namely you." Lark whispered in Lark's ear as she brought a chair over and placed it over the grease patch. "If you had cart wheeled over that you would have gone flying, probably broken an arm or something."  
  
"I know." Lark stood up and stuffed a tissue in her pocket.  
  
"Right, skip the dance number. Lets move on to the next scene, Dracula and his assistant with the Night Queen." Miss McCracken sat down again as Lark, Stuart and a boy called Sam took their places on the stage.  
  
After about half an hour of intense acting the three teenagers were getting tired. Whilst they were waiting for Miss McCracken to sort out a problem with bookings for seat they talked.  
  
"Doesn't this whole idea of a potential murderer scare you two?" Sam asked.  
  
"No, we just have to stay alert." Lark replied.  
  
"I agree with you Sam. This guy will do anything to stop this play from happening." Agreed Stuart.  
  
"From the top guys!" Miss McCracken called. They took their positions. As Stuart and Sam began reading their lines Lark's attention drifted. She started gazing around and looking at the amazing lighting rig. One light in particular caught her eye. It was red and positioned right above the stage. But something about it was wrong. As Lark looked on she saw it distinctly wobble.  
  
"Sam, look out!" She screamed. Sam looked above his head to see the big light wobble and fall from its perch. Lark made to run over to him, but Stuart got there before her. Just in time he pushed Sam out of the way so that the light crashed to the ground on the spot where Sam had been standing. Sam lay on the ground shivering, staring at the shattered light.  
  
"Oh my God!" He whispered.  
  
"Sam, are you OK?" Miss McCracken rushed over to him.  
  
"Yeah, thanks to Stuart here." Sam gasped.  
  
"It was nothing." Stuart shrugged.  
  
"Well, if everyone is OK then we shall continue with the rehearsal." Miss McCracken said.  
  
"What?" Sam asked.  
  
"The show must go on after all." She added.  
  
"No way!" Sam shook his head as he got to his feet. "I'm not risking my life just to be in some stupid show. I quit." He left the hall immediately. A few people around him nodded, saying, "This is too dangerous." In total five people left the room, leaving Miss McCracken standing on the stage.  
  
"Fine." She said. "Then we will just adjust the dance to make it for less people. And Kurt, you will have to take over as Dracula's assistant."  
  
The rest of the cast returned to rehearsing, but all of them were noticeably jumpy about standing under lights.  
  
"It was lucky someone wasn't killed." Batman said to Lark later. He was once again in her bedroom, sitting on her bed as she explained what had happened in detail.  
  
"Two attempts in one rehearsal, this is getting serious." Lark said. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the tissue. "I got a sample of the grease, but I doubt that it will help."  
  
Batman took the tissue. "You never know." He pocketed the tissue and the half full bottle of water.  
  
He got up and crossed to the window. "Keep up the good work. I'll see you soon, but I hope I won't if you see what I mean." He left as quickly as he had come.  
  
But this time Lark did not watch him fly out of sight. Instead she closed the window quickly, and pulled off her pyjamas and dressing gown to reveal some strange looking clothes underneath. She put on a matching hat and picked up her small backpack and left the room. She ran quickly down the stairs and out of the front door, heading in the direction that Batman had gone, pulling out a strange looking device from her backpack as she did.  
  
She ran noiselessly through the back streets, looking intently at the device in her hand. In due course she stopped and hid in the shadows, because just around the corner was the Batmobile. 


	12. 12

"I'm back." Batman called as he jumped out of the Batmobile and walked towards Bruce in the Batcave.  
  
"I noticed." Bruce replied. "So what.?" He didn't get time to finish his sentence because at that moment the computer began to flash a warning sign. "We have an uninvited guest." Bruce said.  
  
"But how?" Batman asked. Bruce pointed to the Batmobile. One of the hatches was opening and a woman dressed in red stepped out. She wore a tight red cat suit and a mask obscuring her face.  
  
"I'll get her." Batman said, he flew over to where she was standing.  
  
"Nice set of wheels." The woman said. "Shame about the passenger compartment though."  
  
"It's not built for two." Batman growled.  
  
"Shame." She replied. "Thanks for the ride though." Batman lunged at her but she just jumped out of the way and stood, looking at him. "Now is that anyway to treat me after all I've done for you?"  
  
"I owe you nothing." He snarled, jumping at her again. But yet again she jumped out of the way.  
  
"Really, then you don't want me to save your butt anymore?" She asked.  
  
"Hold on Batman." Bruce walked over. "Explain yourself." He said to the woman.  
  
"Like I said, I've been helping him when he needs it." She said.  
  
"Prove it." Batman said.  
  
"Last week at the old hospital. You got gassed and I moved you and that guy before the whole place could collapse on you. The next evening I locked the doors at the bank so that the robbers couldn't escape. The other evening I stopped a Joker from hitting you round the head with a steel pole." She said.  
  
"I think we've found your guardian angel." Bruce said to Batman.  
  
"Who are you?" Batman asked.  
  
"My name is Phoenix." She replied. "Of course I know who you are, Terry McGinnis."  
  
Bruce and Terry gasped. "How do you know?" Terry asked.  
  
"I'm right aren't I?" She said. Terry pulled of his mask and nodded. "I though so."  
  
"And what interest do you have in Terry?" Bruce asked. Phoenix turned to him.  
  
"Actually, Terry was just the final link. I was really interested in you, Bruce Wayne. The original Batman."  
  
Terry stepped in front of Bruce. "Who are you, how do you know all this? And what interest do you have in Bruce?"  
  
"I'm glad to see you are looking after him." Phoenix said.  
  
"I don't need looking after." Bruce replied irritably. "And as you know Batman's true identity it's only right that we know yours."  
  
"I was going to tell you anyway, if I have to explain myself." Phoenix turned her face away and pulled the mask off her face. Blonde hair fell to her shoulders and she turned back around to face the two men. "Surprised?" She asked.  
  
"Lark?" Terry asked, shocked. "What on Earth?"  
  
"You know this girl?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Yeah, she's a friend from school. And my inside agent on this Dracula's Nemesis case." Terry replied. "But why? And how did you know it was me?"  
  
"This is going to take a lot of explaining." Lark said. She went over to the Batmobile and pulled out her backpack. "I hope you two have an hour or so to spare."  
  
"Both of you get changed." Bruce said. "Then meet me in the manor."  
  
Terry and Lark went behind so screens to change into normal clothes. "So, were you surprised?" She asked him. They couldn't see each other, but they were still able to talk.  
  
"Stunned is more like it." Terry replied.  
  
They finished changing and Terry led Lark up some rickety stairs and into the living room. Bruce was seated by the fire. Terry and Lark took two chairs opposite him and Bruce looked at Lark. "Explain yourself." He said finally.  
  
"It's a long story. But I guess it begins when my father died nearly nine years ago. Actually I'm surprised you weren't at the funeral." She said to Bruce.  
  
"Why should I go to your father's funeral?" Bruce asked. "I don't know the man."  
  
"That doesn't matter. But it hurt that you didn't come to my grandmother's funeral. She would have wanted you there." Lark continued.  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about." Bruce said. "Why should I go to the funerals of people I don't know?  
  
"But you did know them. Well, you knew my grandmother anyway. Alicia Robertson." Lark explained.  
  
"Alicia?" Bruce face softened. "She is dead?"  
  
"Didn't you know?" Lark asked.  
  
"We lost touch after she moved away." Bruce said. "So she married and had a son I take it."  
  
"She never married." Lark said. Suddenly something dawned on her. "Oh my goodness, she never told you?"  
  
"Told me what?" Bruce asked.  
  
"But you two were so close, I can't believe she wouldn't tell you something like that." Lark said, taken aback.  
  
"Will someone explain this to me?" Terry asked.  
  
"Alicia Robertson and I were friends when I was younger, when I was Batman." Bruce replied. "We were more than friends. She knew that I was Batman, and she was always there to cover for me. Except we became lovers and were engaged to be married. After one argument she handed back the ring and left. I never saw her or spoke to her again after that."  
  
"I can't believe she didn't tell you." Lark shook her head. "And all these years I just thought you were a callous man who didn't want to accept the truth."  
  
"What truth?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Alicia had a son. About seven months after she left you. You were the father." Lark said.  
  
Bruce sat there, stunned. "She was pregnant? She never told me."  
  
"She only found out after you separated. She was too proud to come crawling back to you." Lark looked down. "She never stopped loving you though." Bruce stared into the fire, not saying a word. "She called him Robin." Lark added.  
  
"Whoa!" Terry interrupted again. "So you are telling me that Bruce had a son?"  
  
"Had a son." Lark corrected.  
  
"Which makes you his granddaughter?" Terry asked.  
  
"It does." Bruce replied. "I never knew. I'm so sorry about Alicia. How.?"  
  
"She suffered a stroke. The doctors couldn't do anything for her." Lark said, anticipating his question.  
  
"And.my son?" Bruce asked, swallowing before saying the word, son.  
  
"A horse on our ranch threw him when he was riding one day. He broke his neck." Lark fought back tears at the memories of her father. "He was a wonderful man. And the resemblance between you two is uncanny." She glanced at a photograph of a young Bruce on the mantelpiece. "You would have been proud of such a wonderful son."  
  
For a few minutes they didn't speak. Then Bruce finally asked. "So how did you know all this?"  
  
"Guess work mainly. My grandmother sent me a letter that I only received after she died. She also got me that costume for Phoenix. She knew that I was interested in my heritage, especially my roots in Gotham. I suppose she knew that when I found out who you were I would want to find you, and she knew the only way that I could do that was to become Phoenix." Lark smiled.  
  
"Alicia was a wonderful woman." Bruce sighed. "Extremely clever too."  
  
"She knew that I wouldn't tell anyone your secret. She and I have similar personalities like that." Lark said. "She told me that you were Batman and explained how I could get to meet you. She also knew that you would never truly hang up your cape. That's where Terry comes in."  
  
"How did you figure out that I was Batman?" Terry asked.  
  
"Through Dana." Seeing Terry's shocked face Lark added, "Don't worry, she doesn't know. But when she told me that you spend a lot of time working for Bruce Wayne I put two and two together and luckily I came up with four. I guessed that the reason you missed so many dates and always looked tired was because you were Batman."  
  
"Looks like she inherited a sleuths nose from her grandfather." Terry said.  
  
"This is the letter that she gave me." Lark handed the note from her grandmother that had been attached to the package containing her costume to Bruce. "It will explain everything."  
  
Bruce read it and nodded. "I believe you."  
  
The sat in silence for a bit longer. Finally Lark spoke, standing up as she did so. "Look, I know this is a bit of a shock to you. Finding out that you have a family after all these years. I completely understand if you don't want anything to do with me. You have a substitute grandson and I think he fills your shoes, or rather Batman's, better than I could." She looked at Terry.  
  
"I completely understand if you don't want anything to do with me at all. I'll give you time to think this over." She walked over to the door. "I'll show myself out. See you later Terry."  
  
She left. Terry sat staring at Bruce. "Aren't you going to go after her? She's your granddaughter. You have a family! You had a son!"  
  
"Go home McGinnis." Bruce said. "I have to think things over."  
  
Terry got up to leave. "I just think that if all you ever wanted was to have your parents back then you would at least want to give someone in a similar position a grandfather. Like you became a second father to me." Terry walked over to the door. "You should get to know her, she's an amazing person to know. She may not be as intelligent as you might want her to be, academically speaking. But she is a pretty impressive detective and an amazing sportswoman. She'd make a wonderful granddaughter."  
  
Terry left, leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts. 


	13. 13

"Hey Lark, wait up!" Terry called from across the hallway. Lark was walking along the corridor with Dana. She turned around hearing her name. Terry caught up with them. "Hey Dana." He said awkwardly, looking down at the floor.  
  
"Hi Terry." Dana said. There was an awkward silence in which no one spoke for a few moments. "So." Dana said. "I just remembered that I have to meet Rick for lunch. I'll talk to you in our dress rehearsal tonight Lark." Dana's eyes lingered on Terry. "See you later Terry." She said.  
  
They watched her walk off. "So.did you want something?" Lark asked.  
  
"Huh, what?" Terry snapped back to reality.  
  
"I said, did you want something?" She asked.  
  
"What? Oh yeah I need to talk to you in private." He said. He led her to the empty economics classroom and shut the door.  
  
"So.?" Lark said, seating herself on one of the desks and looked expectantly at Terry.  
  
"I just wanted to check that you were OK, after all the stuff that happened last night." Terry said.  
  
"I'm fine." Lark replied.  
  
"I'm sorry if Bruce's reaction wasn't what you expected." Terry continued.  
  
"I'm fine really. I wasn't expecting anything."  
  
"He'll come around. It's just a bit of a shock to him, suddenly having a family." Terry said.  
  
"Terry, trust me I'm fine." Lark said.  
  
"I don't know how you can be so, well."  
  
"Nonchalant?" Lark prompted.  
  
"Yeah." Terry said.  
  
"Because either way it doesn't both me. I've got on fine every since I was born without him being a grandfather to m. I don't need him now."  
  
"But you had family then, and now.I'm sorry." Terry said as Lark looked at the floor.  
  
"I don't need anyone." Said Lark defiantly.  
  
"Everybody needs somebody." Terry said, lifting her chin up so she met his eyes. "Bruce will see that he needs you, he needs to find out about his family."  
  
"OK love birds break it up." Mr Matters the economics teacher walked into their conversation at that point.  
  
"It's not what you think." Terry said quickly, jumping back.  
  
"I'm sure." Mr matters sat behind his desk and Lark slipped off of the table guiltily. "If your recent portrayal of Romeo and Juliet is anything to go by."  
  
"How do you know about that?" Terry asked.  
  
"Staff do talk Mr McGinnis." Mr Matters smiled. "We have social lives just like you two do. And by the way Terry, how is your economics project going, it's due in next week you know?"  
  
"Fine sir." Terry flinched; he had totally forgotten the paper.  
  
"Right then, I expect it to be good. Off you go and finish your business behind the bike sheds or something." Terry and Lark both blushed as they left the classroom.  
  
"So anyway, when is the play happening?" Terry asked.  
  
"If everything goes well the first performance is a week today." Lark said.  
  
"All going well meaning no more attempted murders." Terry said.  
  
"Yeah." Lark turned to Terry. "Look Terry, I think we should be honest with each other here. I can see that you are not over Dana yet, and to be truthful I don't think she is entirely over you."  
  
Terry looked at Lark with interest.  
  
"Anyway, when you are over her, there's plenty more fish in the sea." Lark said. "And, well, when you are over her maybe you could give me a ring?"  
  
Terry looked at Lark as she made to walk off. "Are you saying that you."  
  
"I'm just saying that if I hadn't known that you were.you know who.I wouldn't have been letting you into my bedroom every week." Lark looked away in embarrassment. "There, I've said it. Now I have to get to dance practice."  
  
She left Terry alone in the corridor, feeling confused.  
  
A few hours later Lark stood on the stage, looking for any signs that Dracula's Nemesis could strike again. She had already checked all the light fittings, floors and props for dangerous faults, but she couldn't find anything amiss.  
  
"Hey Lark." Dana said gloomily.  
  
"Dana? What's wrong?" Lark asked, seeing Dana's pale face.  
  
"Nothing. I'm just on the singles market again." Dana sighed, slumping down into a chair.  
  
"Did you finish with Rick?" Lark asked.  
  
"He finished with me." Dana sighed.  
  
"But why? I though you two were getting on so well." Lark said, slipping a comforting arm around Dan's shoulders.  
  
"Yeah, well apparently guys aren't too keen on their girlfriends calling them by their ex-boyfriend's name." Dana said.  
  
"You what?" Lark asked.  
  
"I kept calling Rick Terry OK?" Dana burst out.  
  
"You're really not over Terry are you?" Lark said.  
  
"I thought I was, but now I'm not so sure." Dana sighed. "But I've lost Terry now so I may as well get used to it."  
  
Lark was battling under an inside struggle. She could tell Dana that Terry was over her and perhaps win Terry for herself. Or she could tell Dana that Terry still liked her and loose Terry for sure.  
  
"I just thought that we were meant to be, Terry and I." Dana said. Lark made up her mind.  
  
"Maybe you are." She said. "He still likes you Dana."  
  
"Really?" Dana wiped a tear from her eye. "How do you know?"  
  
"I can just tell these things." Lark said.  
  
"But I can't go out with him again. He just treated me like dirt." Dana protested.  
  
"Cut him some slack Dana. He has an important job to do. I know he doesn't tell you about it, and he has a good reason to I'm sure." Lark got up and started walking away from Dana.  
  
"But you said he should treat me like a Queen." Dana said. "You were the one who said he was in the wrong."  
  
"I was proved wrong then." Lark said. "Sometimes Dana, a Queen just has to be treated like anyone else. It doesn't mean he likes you any less. It means that he likes you more if feels willing to juggle a job and a girlfriend."  
  
"You're right!" Dana jumped up. "I've still got twenty minutes before we start the rehearsal. I'm going to find Terry now!" She ran over and hugged Lark tightly. "Thanks babe, I owe you one!" She ran out of the room.  
  
"Indeed you do." Lark sighed. 


	14. 14

As Lark tightened the laces on her dance shoes Dana came running back into the rehearsal hall. Ass Miss McCracken called them all over Dana smiled at Lark and gave her the thumbs up. It seemed that Dana and Terry were once more a couple. Lark smiled back, but her heart didn't just sink, it plummeted to the pit of her stomach and lay there, silently crying.  
  
"I have your costumes." Miss McCracken said, indicating some bags over in the corner. "Each is named. Go and find the bag with your name on, then go to the changing rooms and try the costumes on. Meet back here in full costume in ten minutes."  
  
In excitement the cast rushed over to get their bags. Lark walked over last and picked up the remaining bag, hers. She walked slowly to the changing rooms, and found herself a cubicle. She could hear Dana excitedly telling anyone who would listen that she and Terry were once more a couple.  
  
Lark pulled on her costume dejectedly, trying to force herself to be happy for Dana. In the end she convinced herself that all that mattered was that her best friend, and the boy who she fancied, were both happy. She stepped out into the communal changing area to see that everyone else was in costume. They were all in dark, midnight colours. Dana looked sensational in a short, deep red dress with low cut front and black strappy sandals.  
  
Lark looked at herself in the mirror. Her own costume was not as revealing. Black tights and leotard with a silvery spider design on. Compared to Dana she looked incredibly plain. She sighed, Terry would not even have noticed her on the stage in Dana was there. She pulled on her dance shoes.  
  
"Lark!" Dana said, coming over to her. "You look gorgeous, that leotard shows off your flat stomach." She leaned over and whispered in Lark ear. "Thank ou so much for convincing me to talk to Terry. You really are the best friend a girl could ask for."  
  
"Thanks Dana." Lark said. "You look fantastic."  
  
"I know." Dana said as they walked back to the hall. I can't believe that the show opens in less than four days. We have two more rehearsals before the first night."  
  
"Yeah. It's gone so quickly." Lark agreed, but her mind wasn't really on the play.  
  
Everyone assembled in the hall looking fantastic. All of the dancers were dressed exactly the same, and Lark was glad of this effective camouflage. It meant that she could easily hide from Dana. She had nothing against Dana, but she didn't feel like listening to Dana go one about how wonderful Terry was all day.  
  
After their first dress rehearsal, which went really well, they got changed and headed for home, leaving their costumes in the school. Everyone was panicking about there only being one more rehearsal left, but for some reason Lark couldn't focus on anything at that moment.  
  
She got in and couldn't even focus on her important homework. In the end she closed down her computer and stepped into a hot shower. The water was slightly too hot and burned her skin, but she barely felt it. Her whole body felt numb. She let the water wash over her hair and her face. She licked the moisture from around her lips. After about half an hour the futility of standing moping in a shower dawned on her. She stepped out and wrapped herself in a warm bathrobe, letting her wet hair dry naturally. She walked through to her bedroom to find that she had a visitor.  
  
"Don't you ever use the front door?" She asked.  
  
Batman shifted position so that he was sitting on her bed facing her. "No. I got here nearly half an hour ago, you've been in the shower a long time."  
  
"I find it relaxing." She said.  
  
"Is anyone else around?" Batman asked.  
  
"No. The old ladies are out at the theatre tonight and there aren't any kids staying at the moment." Lark replied.  
  
Batman removed his mask and placed it on the bed. "Are you OK?" He asked finally. "You seem downcast."  
  
"I'm fine." Lied Lark. "It's just the stress is getting to me a bit. School work, the play and everything."  
  
"I came for a number of reasons." Terry said. "Firstly to say that we ran some tests on that grease on your tissue. It was the same grease used on the school equipment. I also found that the chemistry lab has the ability to make Dextorine. The ink and paper used to write the note were from the school store and the knife is a cook's knife. I found a set missing one knife in the kitchens."  
  
"So we are definitely dealing with someone in the school?" Lark asked, brushing her hair.  
  
"Either that or someone who has access to all of the school rooms." Terry said.  
  
"So is there any other reason for your visit?" Lark asked.  
  
"Two more." He replied. "One of them is Bruce."  
  
"Oh." Lark couldn't manage to say anything else.  
  
"I want to apologise for the fact that he hasn't been in touch. I think you shocked him with your news the other day. Truth is, I've barely seen or heard from him since yesterday."  
  
Lark finished brushing her hair and turned to face Terry. "I'm sorry." She said.  
  
"For what. It's Bruce who has done something wrong. He just doesn't realise what a great person you are. I didn't realise that fully until today."  
  
"Really?" Lark asked.  
  
"What you did today, for Dana and I, that was really.well I don't know what to say." Terry stood up. "It takes guts to do that sort of thin, especially when you." Terry was about to say 'When you fancy one of the people' but he didn't want to sound big headed.  
  
"Forget about it." Lark stood up and went over to the window, expecting as always that she would have to open and close it for Terry.  
  
"No. I was just wondering. Why did you do it?" He asked.  
  
"Does it matter?" Lark asked.  
  
"It matters to me."  
  
"Because having you two happy and back together is easier than seeing you moping around the school dejectedly." Lark replied.  
  
Terry looked at her and then walked over and hugged her tightly. "Thank you." He whispered in her ear.  
  
Lark let him support her, knowing that if he let go she would probably fall to the ground because her knees felt like unset jelly. She had often dreamed of hugging Terry, but never in her dreams had he been thanking her for getting him and Dana back together. After a few moments it was Lark who broke their embrace.  
  
"You should go." She said. "You probably have innocent citizens to save."  
  
Terry pulled on his mask and made his way to the window.  
  
"By the way." She said, as he stepped onto the fire escape outside her window. "If you have a moment could you find my Phoenix costume? I left it in the Batcave."  
  
"Sure." Batman replied. Lark closed her window and went over to her bed. She lay there not even tired. She had her back to the window as she snuggled up to her teddy and let a single tear fall onto his soft brown fur. From the fire escape Batman watched her sadly before turning around and flying down to the ground. 


	15. 15

"Argh, I'm so nervous!" Max said as the queue moved forwards. "I hate getting report cards, I really never know if I've passed or not."  
  
"I'm not nervous." Lark said. "I've just accepted that I flunked every class."  
  
"I bet you didn't." Max said. "You will have passed at least." They moved forward in the queue to collect their grade sheets again. If they passed a subject they would be able to do it next year. If not then they would have to retake the entire year.  
  
"I don't know why you are worried, you are a straight A student." Lark said.  
  
"Yeah, but that's still terrible. If I get anything less then my teachers will be really disappointed and have a go at me for not trying hard enough."  
  
They collected the sealed envelopes and walked outside, not wanting to look at them. Finally Lark slowly opened hers and read them, then smiled.  
  
"Well?" Max asked, not wanting to open her envelope.  
  
"I passed them all!" Lark said excitedly. "Seven Cs, two Bs and an A! Wow I got an A for Phys Ed!"  
  
"Well done." Max said, tearing open her envelope. She looked at them and then screamed. "All As, oh yes!"  
  
Lark and Max were hugging each other when Terry and Dana walked over. "I take it you guys passed then?" Dana asked, her hand entwined with Terry's. Lark was too happy about passing all her subjects to care.  
  
"Yeah. What about you two?" She asked.  
  
"I passed everything and got four As." Dana said. "It is the best I have ever done."  
  
"What about you Terry?" Max asked.  
  
"I passed everything and got seven As." Terry said. "But my Economics grade is provisional, depending on the standard of my project which is due in next week."  
  
"Have you done it yet?" Dana asked. "Because you'll fail if you don't hand it in."  
  
"It's not finished." Terry said defensively. "But of course I have done some of it." He was lying of course; Terry had almost totally forgotten his Economics project.  
  
"Well, I have to go sweetie." Dana said to Terry. "Lark and I have our last dress rehearsal now."  
  
"Yeah, I have to get to work." Terry said. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"  
  
"Of course." Dana said, kissing Terry. He kissed her back, so she returned his kiss. This went on for a while.  
  
"When they stop tell Dana I went to rehearsal." Lark said to Max, not particularly wanting to watch Terry and Dana together. It felt as if her heart would split in two, she was so split between wanting to see them happy, and wanting Terry for herself. She walked off quickly before tears could even threaten to prick her grey eyes.  
  
"Lark, wait up!" Dana called, running over. "Sorry about that. I got a bit carried away with Terry."  
  
"I noticed." Said Lark. They got changed into their costumes for the final dress rehearsal. The show was the day after the next. As they were changing Dana chattered on about how wonderful it was to be back with Terry, and Lark had to busy herself thinking about other things to stop herself from running out of the school and out of town.  
  
When they walked through to the hall it looked fantastic. It had been decorated in Halloween style décor, and all the chairs were set out. The stage was set and everyone was standing about in costume.  
  
"Positions everyone. Full run through with music, dance, acting, singing, lights, props, the works!" Miss McCracken called from the lighting box.  
  
They rushed to position and Lark stood at the back of the hall, almost unable to control her nerves. As the music started she made her way down the aisle, somersaulting and cartwheeling. Everything went well. The continued their rehearsal with out a hitch for the entire first act. Lark was standing on stage for the beginning of the second, and final act. She watched as the stage hands checked and double checked Dana's harness. At this point Dana made a dramatic entrance by flying across the stage, support by two almost invisible yet incredibly strong strings.  
  
In an instant the music started and Dan was flying high over Lark's head. Lark began her dance routine, letting the music fill her body and take her to another world as she pirouetted to the beat. But suddenly a shiver ran down her spine, something was very wrong. She looked up just in time to see Dana's support strings snap. Dana was twenty feet above the stage, and no one acted quick enough to catch her as she plummeted to the ground. She hit the stage with a resounding crack and lay still.  
  
Lark and several others screamed. Lark was among some of the cast who ran over to Dana's limp body.  
  
"Dana?" Lark cried. "Dana, can you hear me?" She shouted. But Dana made no response. Her face was ghostly white and something that looked suspiciously like blood trickled onto the stage.  
  
In what seemed like seconds and months at the same time the ambulance arrived, screaming its siren like a banshee. Hospital workers pushed the cast back as they manoeuvred Dana onto a stretcher and carried her out to the waiting ambulance. Lark followed but was stopped by an ambulance worker.  
  
"Sorry." He said. "No friends allowed. You can visit your chum in hospital."  
  
"But I'm her sister!" Lark lied. The ambulance driver looked at her suspiciously but helped her to get into the ambulance next to Dana. She was pushed back as she watched her bustle around Dana, but through a gap Lark could see blood staining the crisp white sheets of the bed.  
  
"Terry, I'm glad you got here." Bruce said as Terry arrived. "I intercepted a radio message from an ambulance just now. It appears that Dracula's Nemesis struck again. A girl got taken to hospital."  
  
"Oh no!" Terry said. "Lark was there, is she OK?"  
  
Bruce looked at Terry but shook his head. "Lark is fine. I'm sorry Terry, but the name transmitted on the radio was Dana."  
  
Terry paled visibly. "I have to go to the hospital." He said.  
  
"Wait!" Bruce said. "First things first. You have to investigate the crime scene before you visit Dana." Terry didn't like the idea, but he knew that his being at the hospital wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to Dana.  
  
As Batman he hurried to the school. The police tape had been put up and some cast members were being interviewed for information. Batman sneaked in through a skylight and dropped into the hall. He hurried over to the stage. He was shocked to see blood on the stage. He looked above it and saw the ends of the support strings blowing in a draft. He leapt nimbly up to them and studied them carefully.  
  
"This was no accident." He said. He saw that on each of the strings someone had placed an extremely small charge of explosive. Probably not even enough to make a sound, but enough to cause enough heat to burn through the thin cords. Hearing some police officers come in through the stage door he left though the skylight quickly, but not until he had taken a small sample of the explosive used.  
  
As he flew back to the Batcave Terry was wondering about something. When Bruce had told him about the accident he hadn't thought about Dana first, but of Lark. He hated this fact, he should have asked about his girlfriend first, because he loved her didn't he. Or did he? In the end he put the fact that he had asked after Lark down to the fact that he knew she was on the lookout for Dracula's Nemesis and would be more likely to get into trouble than Dana would.  
  
About half an hour later Terry was walking briskly down a hospital corridor. He had dropped the explosive sample back at the Batcave and was now on his way to visit Dana. He had been told she was on Ward 13, so he made his way there now. At the end of the corridor were yet more police detectives, standing around someone.  
  
"Look, I don't know any more than I have told you." Terry heard someone say. "I came with her because she is my friend."  
  
"Hey!" Terry said, recognising the voice to be Lark's and she sounded distressed. "Leave her alone."  
  
The officers looked at him, but it was clear that they had asked all their questions. "Come on boys." One said. "They will need us back at the crime scene."  
  
The officers left and Terry now saw Lark sitting huddled on a bench. She was wrapped in a blanket and looked pale. She had clearly been crying as her black makeup that was required for the part was smudged. She was still in costume.  
  
"Terry!" She said, standing up when she saw him. She ran over and hugged him. Terry could feel that she was shaking.  
  
"Are you OK?" He asked. She just nodded into his shoulder. She felt safe in his warm, strong arms.  
  
"Where is Dana?" Terry asked. "What happened, is she OK?"  
  
Lark looked up and Terry could see that she had been crying again. She gulped before speaking. "I-I-it was terrible." She said. "She j-j-j-just fell. She was taken to theatre about.about an hour or so ago.I don't know what's wrong exactly. T-t-t-the doctors said something about a broken arm and head injuries. Oh Terry it was terrible. She just dropped and she was bleeding and her face." Lark broke down into sobs again.  
  
"Shush!" Terry said kindly, pulling Lark closer to him and stroking her soft hair comfortingly.  
  
"Excuse me, are you Dana's sister?" A doctor said from behind them. To Terry's surprise Lark nodded. "Then you can come with me while I explain what is wrong with her."  
  
"T-t-this is her boyfriend." Lark said. "And my friend. Can he come too?" The doctor looked at Terry. It wasn't hospital policy to allow non- family members to hear the explanation about injuries. But one look at Lark's face told him that Lark needed a comforting arm around her.  
  
"Ver well." He said. He led them through to his office. Seeing that Lark was still trembling and crying he sat he down and pulled a syringe from his briefcase. "I'm going to give you something to calm you down and combat the shock." He said. He took Lark's arm in his hand and she flinched as she felt the cold needle penetrate her skin. Almost instantly she felt a bit better.  
  
"Have some tea or coffee." The doctor said, handing them both teacups. They sipped the tea as the doctor sat down. "I haven't been able to get hold of your parents." He said to Lark, still thinking that she was Dana's sister. "But I will explain to you what has happened and when they are contacted I will explain to them too."  
  
"Can you not mention that I was here?" Lark said quickly. The doctor looked at her suspiciously at she quickly made up a convincing lie. "It's just that Dana's father isn't really my father, he's my stepfather and he doesn't really like me. And besides I wasn't meant to be in this play. Dana and I are half sisters." She added.  
  
"Right. That would explain why your ID had a different surname." He said. "Anyway, Dana is suffering from a severely broken arm and bad concussion. From what I hear of the accident she got off lightly."  
  
"Will she be OK?" Terry asked.  
  
"The arm will heal in time, and the concussion can be easily treated with today's medicine. We still can't mend a broken bone in seconds but we can fix severe concussion." Joked the doctor. "She will be out of here the day after tomorrow, but she will have to keep her cast on her arm for about two to three weeks, just to be safe."  
  
Terry and Lark thanked the doctor, who told them that Dana was resting now but they could come and see her the next day. They left the office and almost walked straight in to Miss McCracken.  
  
"Lark!" She said. "Are you OK?"  
  
"Yes, fine." Lark said. "I just got treated for shock. Dana will be fine too, eventually." She said.  
  
"Yes, well actually I need to talk to you." Miss McCracken said. "Privately."  
  
"That's fine." Terry said. "I need to make a call anyway. Will you be OK?" He asked Lark. She nodded and he squeezed her hand before making his way to the phone.  
  
"Hey Bruce, it's me." Hey said when Bruce Wayne picked up the phone. "I at the hospital. Listen, did you run the tests on that sample of explosive."  
  
"I just finished them." Bruce replied. "No further clues. It's a simple concoction, it could even me made in your school lab."  
  
"That makes sense, everything else has pointed to someone in the school." Terry replied.  
  
"So how is your girlfriend?" Bruce asked. "Badly hurt."  
  
"Broken arm and concussion, they can fix that pretty quickly. She won't be well in time for the play." Terry replied.  
  
"Oh well, I think it is best for the remaining participants if they cancel the play." Bruce said.  
  
"It would be a shame though. I'd better go." He said.  
  
"McGinnis, how is Lark?" Bruce asked quickly.  
  
"You mean your granddaughter?" Terry asked, knowing full well that Bruce was Lark's grandfather but wanting to remind him of this. "She's a bit shaken up. She came to the hospital with Dana though. She got treated for shock. I'm going to walk her home, just to make sure she's OK."  
  
"Thanks Terry." Bruce replied. "I don't want her getting involved in this any more."  
  
"But you don't want to be involved with her?" Terry asked. "You can't tell her what to do and still not recognise that she is your family you know."  
  
"Don't speak to me like that." Bruce said sharply. "I don't want her to get hurt."  
  
"A word of advice Bruce. If you don't give her an answer about whether or not you want something to do with her soon, she will get mentally hurt. See you tomorrow." Terry said, before hanging up. He turned around and saw that Lark didn't look too happy. She seemed to be arguing with Miss McCracken about something, and Miss McCracken didn't look like she was about to back down.  
  
"The show will have to be cancelled if you don't." The teacher was saying.  
  
"But my part. My understudy can't do my entrance. And besides I can't act or sing." Lark said.  
  
"You can do the first entrance and dance as normal, and after that your understudy takes over. We'll cut the bit with the wires after today obviously. And I know that you can act because I saw you playing Juliet in class. As for the singing, we can put a backing tape on and you can mime." The teacher replied.  
  
"I." Lark sighed. Terry walked over.  
  
"Is something wrong?" He asked.  
  
"Miss McCracken wants me to take on Dana's part in the play and let my understudy take my part." Lark replied.  
  
"Or the show will be cancelled." Miss McCracken said. "I won't take no for an answer Lark. You and I both know you can make a great job of it. I'll get a costume from the hire shop tonight; go over Dana's part with you tomorrow in an extra rehearsal and you will be ready for the opening night. You've been in every rehearsal with Dana, I bet you know her part better than she did."  
  
"Does, she's still alive you know!" Lark said hotly.  
  
"Then do it for Dana. She'd want you to have her role." Miss McCracken begged. Lark waned at this.  
  
"Alright." She said. "I'll do it for Dana."  
  
"Excellent. I'll see you tomorrow after school for an emergency rehearsal." With that Miss McCracken bustled off.  
  
"Are you OK with doing Dana's part?" Terry asked as they walked away from the hospital.  
  
"I do know it." Lark replied. "I just feel guilty that Dana will be strapped up in that cast and I'll be doing her part."  
  
"I'm sure she'd be happy that it was you doing it though." Terry said.  
  
"I'm scared though Terry. If Dracula's Nemesis strikes again." Lark began.  
  
"Don't worry. I have a feeling that 'someone' will be around to watch your rehearsal tomorrow." Terry said. "And I have a ticket to the first night so you'll be fine."  
  
"Thank you." They walked in silence until they were outside Lark's house. "Well, thank you for walking me home and supporting me at the hospital." Lark said to Terry.  
  
"Go inside and get some sleep." He said.  
  
"I will, although I don't know if I'll sleep well. The sight of Dana falling.let us just say that it isn't a sight I'm going to forget easily." Lark said.  
  
"Don't worry. She's fine, that's the main thing. It could have been a lot worse." Terry walked back down the steps outside the house. "See you tomorrow."  
  
"Goodnight." She said, as she let herself in and closed the door. She climbed the stairs and pulled her costume off. She put it straight into her school bag so she wouldn't forget it the next day. She collapsed onto her bed and wrapped herself in her sheets, only then did she feel cocooned and safe. Her emotions overwhelmed her, her feelings for Terry, her possible relationship with her grandfather and the sight of Dana crashing to the ground jostled for a place in her thoughts. Eventually she fell into fitful sleep, constantly reliving the sight of Dana falling in her dreams. 


	16. 16

"So how did it go?" Terry asked as he and Lark walked away from the school after Lark's final late rehearsal.  
  
"Fine." Lark replied. "I guess spending all of my rehearsal time with Dana made me learn her lines." They walked out of the school grounds. "You know you don't have to stay with me now. I can walk home on my own."  
  
"I'd rather stay." Terry replied. "I don't want to worry you, but you do realise that you would be an easy target for Dracula's Nemesis."  
  
"I know. But really, I'm fine to walk two blocks home." Lark said.  
  
"Actually I just got a call from Bruce. He asked if you would come back to the mansion with me, he wants to talk to you." Terry noticed that Lark looked unnerved by this. "Come on, what is the worst that could happen? And you can get your Phoenix suit back too."  
  
They walked into the large entrance of Wayne Manor. "Bruce!" Terry called. "Where are you?"  
  
"Here." Bruce materialised out of the shadows. "There's no need to shout McGinnis."  
  
"Sorry." Terry said sheepishly. "I just didn't know where you were."  
  
"Well, you can go downstairs and monitor the screens in the Batcave." Bruce said. Terry looked at Lark who nodded to him, silently saying that she would be fine. Terry disappeared through a concealed door leaving Bruce and Lark alone. "Come through into the living room." Bruce said.  
  
Lark followed him into the large living room. The fire still burned, but not s brightly as before. Lark couldn't see how Bruce could stand to keep a fire burning in the height of summer.  
  
"How are you?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I'm fine." Lark replied.  
  
"Good, when I heard about the accident yesterday I was.concerned." He finished. "McGinnis told me they treated you for shock."  
  
"Yes, I was just a bit shaken up." Lark said. A silence fell between the two of them. Finally Lark broke the silence. "Is that all?"  
  
"No." Bruce said quickly. "I wanted to talk to you about things. I'm sure it took a lot of guts for you to come here and tell me that you are my granddaughter. I just wanted to say that I appreciate that."  
  
"But." Lark anticipated his sentence.  
  
"But I have spent my life having people want to know me for my money. I can't be too careful you understand." Bruce said. "Especially with the other secrets I keep too."  
  
"What are you saying?" Lark asked, a lump coming to her throat.  
  
"I'm trying to say that, for the moment, I don't want a granddaughter." Bruce said simply.  
  
"Oh." Lark managed to stop herself from sounding disappointed. "Well, I guess that's your choice. I knew that you probably wouldn't want to know me after all these years. I just hoped that I could at least talk to you and find out something about my family, or what is left of it." She said. "But I can easily research that myself now I have a lead." She got up. "If there isn't anything else then."  
  
"Yes there is." Bruce replied. Lark stopped in the doorway. "It's about Phoenix."  
  
"Oh yes, I left my suit here. Could I have it back?" She asked.  
  
"No." Bruce replied. "Batman works alone, he doesn't need you help. Besides, I have learned in the past that involving other people just causes problems."  
  
"Are you saying that you won't give me the suit?" Lark asked. Bruce nodded. "And you won't permit me to be Phoenix?" Bruce nodded again. "Fine." Lark said stiffly. "I know that you are a man who always gets what he wants. Although I don't see how you can tell me that you don't want anything to do with me and then order me about like I'm your inferior. But what the heck, I don't care anymore. Nothing really matters." She walked through the door. "Just so you know, Alicia never married anyone. She always said that she could never love anyone more than she loved you. Frankly I can't see what was so special about you." Lark walked quickly away from the manor, and didn't let the tears of disappointment slip down her face until she was well out of range of any security cameras.  
  
Bruce sat alone in his chair and brooded. About twenty minutes later Terry came upstairs. "All is quite." He said. "No signs of anything out of order. Where's Lark?"  
  
"She left." Bruce said.  
  
"Why? I thought you two were going to talk." Terry said.  
  
"We did." Bruce replied shortly. "We talked and she left."  
  
"What did you say?" Terry asked suspiciously.  
  
"None of your business McGinnis." Bruce relied.  
  
"It is my business when she is my friend." Terry said angrily.  
  
"More of a friend than your girlfriend?" Bruce asked cuttingly. "I have noticed that you haven't been to visit her. In fact you were more concerned about Lark's well being yesterday than Dana's. Where do you priorities lie?"  
  
"You just went too far." Terry said. "For your information Lark and I went to visit Dana before school this morning. And perhaps it's telling that I spend more time with Lark than you do, and she's your granddaughter. I guess you never really learned to love locked up in this place alone, or did Batman take over?" He began to leave.  
  
"Where are you going? You have work to do." Bruce said.  
  
"I'm going out to do it. But from now on our relationship is purely business."  
  
"As if it were ever more." Bruce said.  
  
"One day Mr Wayne, you will wake up and realise that the only people n this world who like you are those who you pay." Terry said. "And even those people only stick around because you put food on their table. Goodnight."  
  
Terry left, leaving Bruce alone. Almost instantly Terry regretted what he had said, he enjoyed being Batman and for some reason also liked Bruce's company. But sometimes Bruce just didn't know when to show that he actually did possess the ability to show emotions. 


	17. 17 and don't worry, Dana will end up ha...

Lark stood in her dressing room looking at herself in the mirror. The show as due to start in less than half an hour. She stood in her own, private dressing room dressed in her costume. She was wearing the black leotard and dance shoes that she would have been wearing for her original part as the Night Queen. But an exact copy of Dana's costume hung on a rail behind her. Once Lark had completed her opening dance her understudy would take over as her part and Lark would rush back into her changing room to slip into the costume that she still regarded as Dana's. Then Lark would step out on stage as Dracula's love interest. She was glad that at least she wouldn't have to sing, a recording had been made that she would lip sync to.  
  
"Twenty minutes!" One of the back stage runners poked his head around the door. "And you have guests."  
  
Max and Terry stepped into the small room and smiled. "We got you these for good luck." Max said, handing Lark a bunch of flowers. "How are you?"  
  
"Nervous." Lark replied. "Did you see Dana?"  
  
"Yes, she's happy about you taking her part." Terry said. "She wants you to be careful though."  
  
"So do we." Max added. "You look great."  
  
"I don't know whether I want to laugh or cry." Lark said. "I'm doing an amazing part, but in the back of my mind I have this nagging feeling that something isn't right."  
  
"I know what you mean." Terry said. "And don't worry, if the slightest thing goes wrong remember our signal, and I will be there." Max looked slightly confused at this. "I've got the suit in my backpack, as always, and Batman is ready to fly."  
  
"Terry!" Max gasped.  
  
"It's alright Max. Lark knows about me being the Bat." Terry said. "She worked it out just like you did, with a bit of help."  
  
"You know too?" Lark asked. Max nodded.  
  
"Lark!" Miss McCracken barged into the room. "We have to get you round to the back of the hall for your entrance." She left.  
  
"Good luck!" Terry and Max said, hugging Lark. Max left but Terry turned around.  
  
"I don't know what Bruce said the other night, but I'm sure it wasn't what you wanted to hear." Terry said.  
  
"It's alright. I didn't expect him to welcome me with open arms, but it would have been nice." Lark said.  
  
"By the way, he's in the audience." Terry added, leaving Lark to ponder this thought.  
  
"Come on Lark!" Miss McCracken said. "The band is warming up."  
  
Lark made her way round to the front entrance to the school. Everywhere was deserted. She practically ran to the entrance to the hall where a stagehand was waiting. "Good Luck!" He whispered, opening the door as the music started.  
  
Lark briefly felt her heart do a quick leap in her chest before she began her opening dance. She was careful, checking that there was no danger before she put a foot down. The audience gasped as she made her way forward nimbly. She landed on the stage and they applauded loudly as other dancers came onto the stage and they began the show. Lark had never put so much energy into a dance before. The music washed over her, possessing her body. At the end of the dance she smiled and looked out at the cheering audience. She couldn't see Terry, Max or Bruce anywhere.  
  
As the lights faded she rushed backstage and into her dressing room. Her wardrobe assistant and makeup artist, both students from the school, were waiting for her. They helped her to get changed and as the makeup artist applied her makeup and fixed Lark's hair, the wardrobe stylist was making the final adjustments to her costume. She was ready in fifteen minutes. She made her way into the wings at the side of the stage, about two minutes early for her entrance.  
  
In what seemed like seconds she walked onto the stage. "Hello my sweet." She said saucily to the guy playing Dracula. She heard several wolf whistles from the audience as she faultlessly acted the scene. She was so absorbed in what she as doing that she forgot that she could be in any danger. When it came to her song she was nervous. What if something went wrong with the music system? But nothing did, and she found herself lip- syncing the song perfectly, no one even seemed to notice that she was miming.  
  
In what seemed like two minutes, but was actually half an hour, the first act ended. Lark smiled to herself as she sat down in her dressing room and sipped some water, allowing her stylists to touch up her hair and makeup and check that her costume was fitting properly. After five minutes she was left alone. A knock came at her door.  
  
"Come in." She said. She looked in the mirror to see the reflection of her guest. She stood up quickly and turned round when she saw that Bruce was standing there. "Mr Wayne!" She gasped.  
  
"I just came out to congratulate you." Bruce said. Lark's heart missed a beat, Bruce Wayne was congratulating her about something! This was more like it! "Terry and I had a disagreement last night after you left." He continued. "I hope that you are satisfied, having put our professional relationship under strain."  
  
"I'm sorry?" Lark said. "I don't understand you."  
  
"It would appear that Terry likes you more than he lets on." Bruce said. "And when I told you the truth about how I feel last night, he decided that I was in the wrong. He left, but not before berating me about what a terrible grandfather I am."  
  
"I had no idea." Lark said.  
  
"I'm sure you did. I have a feeling that you are brighter than you let on." Bruce said. "Let me tell you this, if you come in between Terry and I Gotham City would pay dearly. If Terry doesn't work for me."  
  
"Whoa. Terry loves working for you. I don't know how you can think that he would drop it just for me. He's going out with Dana." Lark said hotly.  
  
A bell rang backstage signalling that the second act was about to start.  
  
"I have to go and finish my performance." Lark said. "But we can finish this conversation later." She crossed to the door as Bruce sat down in her chair.  
  
"Then I will wait here and we shall talk later." He said.  
  
"Fine!" Lark stormed out of her dressing room and made her way to the sides of the stage.  
  
"Here." One of the stagehands helped her to climb into the harness that would enable her to fly across the stage. "We've checked and triple checked this rigging, there's no weakness whatsoever." He assured her.  
  
As the music started Lark was winched upwards and flown out across the stage. The audience clapped as she performed a few mid air acrobatics. But part way through Lark stopped. She could smell something. Something that made her hairs stand on end and send shivers down her spine. She knew that she wasn't mistaken. She could smell smoke!  
  
"Fire!" She called, but no one could hear her above the music. "Fire!" She shouted again. She tried to reach into her pocket to pull out the personal alarm that Terry had given her with instructions to set it off if anything went wrong. But the harness was in the way and she couldn't get to it. "Fire!" She shouted again.  
  
Far below her Terry and Max were watching. "She's amazing." Terry said.  
  
"Do you think she is OK?" Max asked. "She looks a bit scared."  
  
"Probably because this was how Dana had her accident." Terry said. "But I can't see anything that could be going wrong."  
  
As the music died Lark was starting to panic. The audience clapped wildly. Lark filled her lungs with air and screamed "Fire!"  
  
At first only a few people heard her. But it was enough to make them stop clapping and listen. Lark was about to shout again when Billowing black smoke emerged from the stage and red-hot flames began devouring the set. Somehow a fire had been started under the stage, and Lark had been the only one able to smell the smoke because smoke rises, and she had been high above everyone else, where all the smoke was!  
  
The whole audience began to scream and rush for the exit. Lark looked around for a stagehand to let her down, but they had all disappeared. She was stuck high above the flames, and could feel their heat far below her. She was trapped! 


	18. 18

Lark tried desperately to free herself from the harness. The stagehand had definitely done his job; there was no way that she could fall out of the harness. But she really needed to at this moment. Gritting her teeth she took hold of the thin strings that supported her and began to haul herself upwards. She could feel the heat of the fire beneath her, and this only made her more desperate to get out of reach of the crackling flames.  
  
Ignoring the pain brought on by the thin wires cutting her hands, Lark managed to pull herself up to the rafters above the stage. She slipped her harness off and looked below her. She was some thirty feet above the stage, which was fast disappearing as the fire devoured it. Lark could see the audience still pushing to get out of the hall. Cat-like she crawled along the narrow beams above the stage.  
  
She found a rope that was attached to a pulley mechanism to lower a piece of scenery. Hoping desperately that it would hold her weight she took it in her arms and jumped. She fell for a few feet before the rope became taught. Gracefully she was lowered to the ground as her weight, slightly more than that of the prop the rope was attached to, brought her downwards. She managed to land at the side of the stage in an area that was not engulfed in flames.  
  
As soon as her feet hit the floor she began to run. She was heading for the exit when she heard a man yell. She turned around, realising that the cry came from backstage.  
  
"The cast and stagehands!" She said to herself. "They might be trapped!"  
  
She ran back the way she had come and crashed through a door to one of the backstage corridors. Flames were licking up one side of the corridor. She could hear shouting coming from behind one of the doors on this side of the corridor.  
  
"Hello?" She shouted.  
  
"Help us!" Came a voice.  
  
"Stand away from the door!" Lark shouted. She kicked at the wooden door and it flew open. "Get out!" She shouted to the two boys inside.  
  
"It's Stuart!" Said one of the stagehands. "He's asthmatic and the smoke.he isn't breathing."  
  
"We have to get him outside!" Lark shouted. Between them Lark and the stagehand managed to hoist the unconscious Stuart up and slowly walked out of the room into the corridor. Coughing violently they struggled up the corridor, only to find that some flames had already blocked their paths. "Through the back way!" Lark called. They retraced their footsteps to a door that would lead to the large props room at the back of the building. There was a fire exit in that room.  
  
"It's locked!" Shouted the stagehand, trying desperately to open the door.  
  
"Come on, there must be another way out!" Lark shouted. She picked up Stuart's feet and they had moved a few metres from the door when it crashed open.  
  
"This way!" Batman shouted to them. Lark saw him in relief. They struggled over to him. The props room had not yet caught fire. Batman closed the broken door behind them. "Lets get out of here!" He said, grabbing Lark's arm.  
  
"No!" She said, pulling her arm away form him. "There could still be people in there."  
  
"Then take him out, I'll check for others!" Batman said.  
  
"No!" Lark blocked his way. "You're the only one strong enough to carry Stuart out. I'll go back."  
  
"I won't let you." Batman replied.  
  
"You know it makes sense!" Lark shouted angrily. "I know my way round the backstage area better than you do. And I know the way to my dressing room, Bruce is still there!" Batman tried to protest but Lark dumped Stuart in his arms and rushed back in before he could say anything.  
  
Batman picked up the limp Stuart in his arms and shouted, "Follow me!" to the other stagehand. As they ran out of the building a fire engine pulled up by the school.  
  
Meanwhile Lark ran through the labyrinthine passages shouting. No one answered her. Eventually she got to her dressing room. She flung the door open to find that Bruce wasn't there, but his walking stick was. He couldn't be far away.  
  
"Bruce!" She called, running aimlessly through the smoke filled passages. "Anyone? Is there anyone else in here?" She found herself in the depths of the backstage rooms, where the fire at least had not spread. She checked every room, but could find no one. She hoped that they had all got out, but she knew that she had to check.  
  
"Hello?" She choked. She worked her way down to the end of the passage to the last door. She left it, thinking that it would be empty, when she heard something moving inside. "Is anyone there?" She asked. Without waiting for a reply she opened the door. Miss McCracken was sitting at her desk reading.  
  
"Miss, we have to get out of here, there's a fire!" Lark shouted.  
  
"I know." Miss McCracken said coolly, turning the pages of her book.  
  
"We have to leave!" Lark cried.  
  
"No we don't."  
  
"You don't seem to understand. The fire."  
  
"I started it." Miss McCracken said, standing up and facing Lark. In the smoky light she no longer looked younger and happy, but strange and somewhat scary.  
  
"What?" Lark gasped.  
  
"I started the fire beneath the stage." Miss McCracken said, walking forwards. As if to prove a point she pulled some matches out of her pocket, lit one and let it drop to the floor. The carpet began to slowly burn.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lark asked, stamping the fire out. But Miss McCracken took Lark by the throat and lifted the slight girl clean off her feet.  
  
"Don't meddle girl. You have already meddled enough!" She threw Lark against the wall. Lark slid to the ground but hauled herself back up again.  
  
"You are Dracula's Nemesis?" She gasped.  
  
"That I am. You were clever to work it out." The teacher replied sinisterly. "But you were on my trail from the beginning weren't you."  
  
"You planted the note. It was written using school supplies that you got from the school store cupboard." Lark said.  
  
"Yes I did. I had the lighting rigged on a timer so that it would go off after a certain period of time. Then I planted the note." Miss McCracken explained.  
  
"And the Dextorine that Kim drank." Lark continued.  
  
"That was meant for you!" Miss McCracken snarled. "I made it in the chemistry lab, it was rather easy. Then I planted it in your drink, no one noticed. I knew that you took the note, so I thought that I should get rid of you first, but it didn't matter that Kim took it, stupid girl."  
  
"So you tried to get rid of me by placing that grease on the floor so that I would slip." Lark said. The fire was rushing down the corridor, but Lark had forgotten about it.  
  
"Boiler grease from the school machines, the caretaker left it lying around. Then I rigged the light above the stage so that it would fall on Sam, because I knew where he would be standing for that scene. It was all too easy. Getting Dana was the easiest part!"  
  
"Bitch!" Lark shouted at the teacher.  
  
"Language!" She scolded, and then laughed. "Yes, Dana's 'accident' was perhaps the most fulfilling. That crack when she hit the ground, it's a shame she didn't die!" Lark flung herself at the teacher, but she simply knocked Lark aside. "Easy enough to make the explosive too, once again I made use of the chemistry lab."  
  
"Why?" Lark asked, her breathing harsh, partly because of her anger but mainly due to the smoke that had filled the room. Dotted around the room little sparks of fire were burning.  
  
"Because I was being laid off." Snarled Miss McCracken. "They said they had no need for my services in the school anymore. I was permitted to run one more show. So I decided if I couldn't run shows at this school anymore, no one can. After the disastrous events of this production who would want to run another one?"  
  
Lark heard a crash as somewhere nearby a ceiling collapsed. "Miss, I don't care what you did." She urged her teacher quickly but quietly. "Please come with me. We can get you help, they might not sack you. You could do another play, or this one again. But please, you have to come out with me. This place is falling down and if we are still inside when it falls."  
  
"No. I'm staying here!" Miss McCracken said. "If I come out they will just lock me up. I'm going to die here."  
  
"Please, come with me." Lark begged.  
  
"I'm afraid you can't leave either. You are the only person who knows my identity, and I don't want everyone to remember me as Dracula's Nemesis. I want to be remembered as the brave teacher who gave her life trying to save an innocent student from the fire. Poor innocent Lark Robertson, who perished in the fire with her favourite teacher."  
  
"No!" Lark gasped. All around them the ceiling was starting to cave in. Bits of burning plaster fell to the ground where they ignited the carpet underfoot.  
  
"It's too late!" Miss McCracken cackled as a large crack appeared in the ceiling above her. She laughed hysterically as bits of plaster fell on her head. The ceiling gave a tremendous groan and began to buckle. Lark turned and ran.  
  
"It's futile!" Miss McCracken laughed, but her laughs were quickly drowned out as the ceiling finally gave way and collapsed on top of her. As Lark ran down the corridor pictures, doors and ornaments fell to the ground. She had made it to the end of the corridor and was running up another passageway when she heard a huge grumble. As the walls gave in around her she flung herself forwards into a stairwell.  
  
She managed to fling her body out of the corridor in time as the walls collapsed. However a falling metal beam crashed down onto her legs. Lark screamed in agony and tried to move her legs, but the beam was too heavy. She was lying face down on a landing, with stairs leading to the ground level in front of her. She had ended up in the stairwell, where thankfully the stairs were still holding out. But the wooden banisters above her head were burning and Lark knew that it was only a matter of time before they gave way, and if she was still under there when they fell.  
  
She struggled desperately to move her legs, but the beam was too heavy and for some reason she could hardly move her legs. She groaned in pain as she tried to move them. She flumped her head onto her outstretched arms and bit back tears.  
  
"Hello?" She called frantically, hoping against hope that someone was there to hear her, but knowing in her heart that they weren't. She shifted uncomfortably. She was lying on something hard. She reached her hand down and picked it up. It was the personal alarm that Terry had given her.  
  
She chucked it at the wall in anger, which set the alarm off. It beeped non-stop, the harsh tones reached Lark's ears and annoyed her, but she couldn't reach it to turn it off. She sighed and let tears roll down her face. She was going to die.  
  
"Lark!" Lark heard a voice. She thought that she was dreaming. She looked around but could see nothing but smoke and flames. It must have been something else. She put her head back down on her arms again. "Lark!" She definitely heard it that time. Looking up she saw a dark figure descending towards her.  
  
"Batman?" She asked. Batman landed beside her having half abseiled down the stairwell. "How did you?" She asked weakly. The fumes had gone to her head slightly and she wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or not.  
  
"I'm here." He said, kneeling beside her. He picked up her body and hugged her close to him. She coughed but held onto him, this wasn't a dream. "We have to get out of here." He said.  
  
"I can't!" Lark wailed. Batman saw the beam pinning her legs to the ground. He crawled over to it.  
  
"Lark listen to me. When I lift this you have to get your legs out from under it." He said. Lark nodded.  
  
Batman braced himself before lifting the two tonne beam. He could only manage to lift it two inches off of Lark's legs. "Go!" He shouted.  
  
"I can't." Lark said, trying to move her legs but only feeling blinding pain ricochet up her legs.  
  
"I can't hold it much longer!" Batman groaned. With some effort Lark managed to drag herself forwards. Batman dropped the beam once her feet were clear.  
  
He quickly took a look at Lark's legs. "They're both broken." He said. We need to get out of here." They both flinched as they heard a crash as somewhere else another ceiling collapsed. Batman picked Lark up in his arms and used his blasters on his boots to lift them up. They soared upwards and crashed through the skylight at the top of the staircase just as all the stairs collapsed in a cacophony of dust and smoke. Lark clung to Batman as he flew her over to where some ambulances were taking burned spectators and cast members to hospital.  
  
"Here's another one. This one is an emergency." Batman said, placing Lark on one of the beds inside an ambulance. "Both legs are broken and I think she inhaled a bit too much smoke."  
  
Lark turned her head towards Batman. "Bruce.he was in my dressing room."  
  
"He's fine." Batman said. "He wasn't even in the building when the fire started."  
  
Lark smiled before blacking out. Batman watched as the ambulance drove off, lights flashing and sirens screaming. Before anyone could speak to him he flew off into the night, leaving the fire brigade to put out the blaze and the doctors to load the more seriously injured people into ambulances. Once inside a dark alley Batman stripped off his suit to become Terry McGinnis. He rushed back to the scene before anyone could miss him.  
  
"Terry!" Max said, seeing him. "I was so worried, I couldn't find you anywhere."  
  
"I got out pretty quickly, but I think the fumes went to my head, I fainted for a while." Terry lied. "Where's Lark, and Bruce?"  
  
"Bruce went home." Max said as a doctor came over and wrapped blankets round them. "But Lark." Max's voice choked with tears. "She was taken off to hospital, she looked terrible Terry."  
  
Terry stood comforting Max as they watched the fire brigade kill the last of the dying flames and enter the smouldering, charcoal black ruin to check for any casualties. 


	19. 19

Terry walked alongside Bruce through the hospital corridors. They passed countless worried parents visiting their children with minor burns. The entire hospital seemed to be taken up by Milton Hill School students and their families.  
  
"Where is she?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Intensive care." Terry replied shortly.  
  
"Are you still angry with me?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Am I angry that you went in to see her and accused her of deliberately coming between us you mean?" Terry asked. "Or am I angry that you stayed in her dressing room and the entire reason that she went back into that inferno was to look for you?"  
  
"Both." Bruce replied. Terry stopped outside a window and look into the room inside.  
  
"I'm not angry." Terry said. "It could have been a lot worse. The doctors hope that she will regain consciousness soon." They looked into the intensive care unit. They could see Lark lying motionless on a bed, with a thousand wires attaching her to bleeping and whirring machines. Both of her legs were incarcerated in special bandages to help her broken bones to heal quickly.  
  
"What did they say as the diagnosis?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Broken legs and minor burns." Terry replied. "But she inhaled a lot of poisonous fumes, they don't know what effect these will have on her."  
  
"Effect?" Bruce asked, not taking his eyes off of Lark.  
  
"Breathing problems, lung disease, or effects on her brain." Terry replied. "Are you going in then?"  
  
Bruce paused for a moment before opening the door and walking in. Terry sat down outside the room and smiled to himself. Bruce walked over to where Lark lay and regarded her for a moment before placing a bunch of flowers by her bed. There were flowers, boxes of chocolates and teddy bears in one corner, where the matron had put them out of the way. It seemed that lots of people wished for Lark to get better.  
  
"Hello." Bruce said awkwardly, sitting down next to Lark. "I know you can't hear me, but I have a few things to say. Things that I wouldn't say to your face because.well because I guess I'm too proud. Terry told me that you went back into the building to save me. I want to thank you for that. I also want to apologise for the things I said. I was in a bad mood and needed someone to take that out on, normally my dog bears the brunt of my fowl temper.  
  
Anyway, I just came to say that I'm sorry and I do want you to get better. I'm really apologising for what I said about not wanting a granddaughter. You shocked me when you told me that I have a son. Being shut away for so long, I guess I'm not really in touch with my emotions. If you will take me, I'd love to try to be your grandfather. I'm not promising that I'll be any good, but I do promise I won't make you clean my false teeth or empty my bed pan." He chuckled at his own joke.  
  
"And I thought you were am amazing actress. You really reminded me of your grandmother when you were up on that stage.I hope you will find it in your heart to tell me about the family I never knew. I.don't really know why I am telling you all this. Probably because you can't hear me and hold me to any promises that I make." He took Lark's limp hand in his own, wrinkly one. "I hope that we can learn to get along. From what I hear you inherited my nose for a crime and my stubbornness, I think we could clash personality wise. I just hope that you won't leave me just after telling me that I have a family. I always wanted a family." Bruce finished and sighed. He remained sitting with Lark, not quite knowing what to say to someone who couldn't hear him. Suddenly he felt Lark squeeze his hand.  
  
He looked down. Her eyes were open and she was smiling. "That was really beautiful. Truly poetic!" She said.  
  
"You, you set me up?" Stammered Bruce.  
  
"Actually I did." Terry was leaning against the doorframe and smiling.  
  
"But how, why?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I spoke to the matron here this morning and asked her to do me this favour. She told Lark about it too and Lark agreed." Terry said. "Lark was never unconscious, and there are no life threatening illnesses caused by the fumes."  
  
"Really?" Bruce asked Lark.  
  
"Just two broken legs, a few burns and a headache." Lark smiled.  
  
"Well, I'll be going." Bruce said awkwardly walking towards the door. "Why did you do it McGinnis?" He whispered to Terry in the doorway.  
  
"Because I knew you would tell her how you really felt if you thought she couldn't hear you." Terry said.  
  
Bruce chuckled, shook his head despairingly and walked out. Terry shut the door behind him, leaving them alone.  
  
"Thank you." Lark said. Terry walked over and took up Bruce's seat.  
  
"I knew he would talk." Terry said.  
  
"No. For saving my life. God, it sounds even more cliché when I actually say it." Lark laughed.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Terry said. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"A little shaken up." Lark admitted.  
  
"Well you're bound to. You had a rough ride back there." Terry soothed.  
  
"Not about the accident." Lark said. "I haven't told any of the nurses, but someone else was down there with me."  
  
"Who?" Terry asked.  
  
"McCracken. I tried to get her to come out with me but she wouldn't, and then she confessed. She was Dracula's Nemesis Terry." Lark whispered.  
  
"Miss McCracken, but why?" Terry asked.  
  
"She was getting the sack, so she didn't want anyone else taking up her vacated position. She thought that if this show went really wrong then Milton Hill would just drop drama as a subject and never do another play again." Lark said.  
  
"It all makes sense now. I'll get Mr Wayne to alert the authorities." Terry said.  
  
"It wasn't her fault. She was insane." Lark said.  
  
"I know. Did she hurt you?" Terry asked.  
  
Lark nodded. "Not badly. But she gave me one hell of a headache, she's stronger than she looks."  
  
"I'm sure." Terry stroked her hair relaxingly. "So anyway, what did the doctors say?"  
  
"My legs are pretty badly broken. Nothing they can't fix but I'll have to put all sports on hold for a month and then have physiotherapy to bring me back slowly." Lark said. "The burns will heal quick enough and I'm taking medicine and injections to combat the toxins I inhaled from the smoke."  
  
"I'm glad." Terry said. "I was worried about you."  
  
"How's Dana?" Lark asked.  
  
"She's at home, making more of her broken arm than necessary. Apparently she can barely do anything by herself."  
  
"A good excuse to get your own personal slave." Lark laughed. "So why aren't you over there now dressed as her butler?" She joked.  
  
"I'm not sure. I have a lot to think about." Terry said seriously. Lark stopped smiling and looked at him questioningly.  
  
"Well whatever you are confused about, don't loose Dana." She said finally. "We all need someone to look after us in this world."  
  
Terry simply nodded. Lark smiled and propped herself up on her pillows. "Come on then. I may be an invalid but I can still eat chocolates and grapes!" She pointed to the pile of flowers, teddies and chocolates. "I want to at least enjoy what my fans and admirers send me."  
  
An hour or so later Terry left the hospital, full up from eating chocolates and grapes. Lark and Terry had had fun guessing what the chocolate flavours were and had found a fun game to play with grapes, involving balancing them on your nose before eating them. Lark had been extremely good at this.  
  
When Terry got home he found Dana waiting for him. "Where were you?" She asked.  
  
"Hello Dana, how are you?" Terry joked.  
  
"I'm serious Terry. I've been trying to contact you for over an hour. Mr Wayne said you weren't with him, you mother didn't know where you were." Dana said.  
  
"I was at the hospital visiting Lark." Terry said.  
  
"Oh of course, Lark!" Dana said. "I notice you spent longer visiting her than you did me."  
  
"Well she was more seriously injured." Terry protested. "And she went through a lot."  
  
"So did I!" Dana replied. "If you remember I was the one who plummeted to the stage and broke her arm and got concussion. And I'm your girlfriend." She added.  
  
"I'm sorry." Terry replied. "I didn't realise."  
  
"Well, I just hope that you remember who your girlfriend is." Dana said, settling herself on his couch. "My arm really hurts. I don't suppose you have any ice cream?"  
  
"Vanilla." Terry offered.  
  
"Great." Dana said, watching Terry get it for her. "Could you throw some chocolate sauce on that? And marshmallows would be great if you had any. A cherry on top would just be perfect."  
  
Terry sighed as he obeyed Dana's demands. Somehow being with Lark when she was injured was more fun than being with Dana. 


	20. 20

It was about three days later when Lark left the hospital on crutches. She hobbled out with Terry walking beside her, carrying her things.  
  
"Careful done the steps." He said when they got outside.  
  
"I'm fine." She said. They had gone down about three steps when one of Lark's crutches slipped from her grip and crashed to the pavement. Lark nearly fell with it, but Terry put an arm out and supported her in time. "Damn." She said. "I thought I was getting used to those damn things."  
  
"Don't worry." Terry said. He rushed down the steps and threw her belongings and crutch into his waiting car. The he returned up the steps to her.  
  
"Thanks." She said, putting out an arm so that he could support he on the way down. To her surprise he didn't take it. Instead he scooped her into his arms and carried her down the steps. Lark laughed. "Stop it Terry. I can walk you know."  
  
"I know, I'm just making sure that you don't fall." Terry said, placing her gently into the front seat. He ran around to the driver's seat and got in.  
  
"Thanks for coming to pick me up, in more ways than one." Lark said. "I didn't fancy walking home on crutches. Do you know how hard they are to work?"  
  
"It's no problem." Terry said. Lark sat back and sighed, glad to be out of the hospital. She didn't notice that Terry wasn't taking her back to the hostel where she had been staying for the past few months.  
  
"Hey, where are we going?" She asked finally, when she realised that they weren't going the way she had expected.  
  
"Home." Terry said, pulling into the grounds of Wayne Manor.  
  
"Home?" Lark asked. Terry got out and helped her out of the car. Hung on the front of the house was a sign saying 'Welcome Home Lark' and underneath it stood Bruce Wayne.  
  
"Come on!" Terry said excitedly, handing Lark her crutches.  
  
"But." Lark protested.  
  
"Welcome home Lark." Bruce walked down the front steps to greet her. "I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of moving your things over here."  
  
Lark looked at Bruce questioningly.  
  
"I hope that you will accept this as your new home, with your grandfather." Bruce said. Lark felt tears well up in her eyes. She only nodded and flung herself into Bruce's arms, hugging him tightly. Bruce looked surprised before hugging her back.  
  
Terry smiled and picked up Lark's things from the car. Silently he took them upstairs to the room that had been designated as Lark's. It was huge, with an en-suite bathroom, king size bed, television, computer, furnishings and a balcony that overlooked the rare but beautiful countryside around Gotham.  
  
He placed her things on her bed, having to move countless balloons and gifts to do so. He was just opening the windows to let some fresh, summer air in when Lark hobbled in with Bruce.  
  
"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed. "Thank you so much." She hugged Bruce again. "And all these balloons!"  
  
"There are some presents for you too." Bruce said. "But they can wait until after lunch. Will you stay for lunch Terry?"  
  
"If you'll let me." Terry said. Bruce smiled and left them. "So do you like this surprise?" Terry asked Lark.  
  
"I do." She replied. "I take it you have something to do with this?"  
  
"Me? No, I only showed Bruce where you lived. He was so shocked that you are practically unsupervised and he wanted to do something for you, he suggested that you move in here. I told him that you would." Terry replied.  
  
"Thank you." Lark hugged Terry. "For everything. You've been an amazing friend through everything. We got off to a bit of a rocky start what with the argument between you and Dana. Anyway, I'm glad I've got you as a friend."  
  
Terry smiled. "Come on, let's get some food." He said, helping Lark downstairs. They entered the dining room that was bedecked with more balloons, and filled with people.  
  
"Surprise!" They all shouted.  
  
"Oh my goodness!" Lark gasped.  
  
"This part took some persuasion on my part." Terry whispered. "Bruce doesn't often welcome guests."  
  
Lark smiled even more as the entire cast of the play and her friends from school came over and hugged her, giving her presents and welcoming words. Everyone had heard of her heroism in trying to save everyone backstage and of her confrontation with Miss McCracken.  
  
"Thanks." Stuart said.  
  
"Well done girl!" Max appeared from among the crowd.  
  
"Hi Lark." Dana said, stepping out. Her arm was still bandaged.  
  
"Hello Dana." Lark said, hugging her. "We make quite a pair don't we?"  
  
"Do you?" Dana asked, looking at Lark and Terry.  
  
"I meant you and I." Lark said quickly. "Look at all our bandages!"  
  
"Yeah, the bandages." Dana said half heartedly before allowing herself to be pushed aside by other people. Finally Lark was steered over to the table where she sat on Bruce's right.  
  
"Thank you so much for all this. I really appreciate it." Lark said, squeezing Bruce's hand under the table.  
  
"Anything for my granddaughter's first day home." Bruce said. For the day anyway, he had cast aside his recluse ways. There was no doubt in Lark's mind that as soon as everyone left Bruce would be back to his old, quiet self. But for now she enjoyed the fact that the business entertainer and host had emerged, however briefly.  
  
It appeared that Bruce's cook had prepared all of Lark's favourite foods. Pizza, noodles, and lots of chocolates and cakes weighed down the table as everyone sat down and tucked in. Lark saw Terry talking to Dana, but she seemed more interested in talking to Stuart. Lark sighed, she didn't want to come between Terry and Dana.  
  
It was late when the last person left the mansion, leaving Lark and Bruce alone.  
  
"Thank you." She said again as they sat down in the living room.  
  
"I have one more thing to give you." Bruce said. He handed her a box. "Your actions over the past few months prompted me to think about doing this, but when I heard about your 'escapades' backstage, trying to save everyone including myself. Well, that convinced my to do it. I finished it while you were in hospital."  
  
Lark opened the box to find her Phoenix costume. But something about it was different.  
  
"It has a few minor adjustments." Bruce said. "A few added features. I thought you might like a flamethrower seeing as your name is Phoenix. It's built like Batman's suit, but with a few bits added and taken away. You'll make the perfect fighting team."  
  
"I don't understand." Lark said, running her fingers over the beautiful suit.  
  
"All the times that you saved Terry's life and how you helped him to solve some clues made me think that you would make a good team. Your determination and bravery in the face of fire the other day convinced me that I was right. Batman needs a partner. I thought that perhaps Robin was a bit dated, but a stronger bird would be welcome." He looked at Lark. "I'm offering you the job as Batman's new sidekick."  
  
Lark couldn't say anything; she just reached over and hugged her grandfather. "I'll make you and grandmother proud." She whispered finally. 


	21. 21

"Settle down class!" Mr Matters called from the front of the classroom. "I know that it is the last week of term but remember, you all have work to do still!"  
  
Terry sat down next to Dana and sighed. He was really tired and would be glad when this term was over and he could go home and sleep all day. Dana smiled at him and shifted her bandaged arm to a more comfortable position, she could still write with her other hand so had come back to school for the last week.  
  
"As you know you all passed my class." Mr Matters stopped the class from cheering. "But we also know that that was on principle. If your grade from your project pulls down your economics grade low enough then you could easily fail."  
  
Terry's heart leapt in his chest. His report! With all the excitement of the past few days he had totally forgotten it.  
  
"So I'll start by taking in your projects." Mr Matters began walking around the classroom collecting in reports. Dana handed him her report and Mr Matters looked at Terry. "Well Mr McGinnis?"  
  
"Sorry sir I." Terry began. But Mr Matters topped him and sighed.  
  
"I have made allowances for you Terry. I don't want to hear any more excuses." Mr Matters walked to the front of the classroom, put all the other reports on his desk and sighed. "However I'm very sorry. We talked about this Terry. You promised that you would hand it in. I have no choice but to fail you in my subject."  
  
"No!" Terry groaned. Mr Matters opened up his computer and scrolled down to Terry's name. He was about to change Terry's mark from a pass to a fail when there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in." Mr Matters said. He looked up just in time to see Lark hobbled through the door, still on crutches. "Miss Robertson, I didn't know you were back at school."  
  
"I'm not officially sir." Lark said. "I just came in to give you something." Terry looked up at the sound of Lark's voice. She wasn't even meant to go out yet; her legs weren't even out of the bandages.  
  
Lark handed Mr Matters a thick wad of paper covered in diagrams and text. It was ring bound professionally.  
  
"What is this?" Mr Matters asked. "The Rise and Rise of Wayne Enterprises, Economics Project by Terry McGinnis?" Mr Matters said, looking shocked. "May I ask what you are doing with this?"  
  
Terry's mouth fell open as Lark replied casually. "Oh. Terry's computer broke down so he came around to my house to finish the work, because I have a computer that's the same as his."  
  
"And how did Terry transfer his work if his computer was broken?" Mr Matters asked suspiciously.  
  
"He had sent a draft copy to me, because he wanted my grandfather, Bruce Wayne, to have a quick look over it to check that he approved. Mr Wayne didn't want any incorrect information printed on his company."  
  
Mr Matters looked at Terry who tried to look as if this whole story wasn't new to him. "Why didn't you tell me this before Terry?"  
  
"You didn't give me chance to sir." Terry replied.  
  
"Well. I suppose that providing that this report is good, I won't have to fail you Mr McGinnis." Mr Matters said. "Let's continue with our lesson."  
  
Lark limped out of the room. Terry wanted to follow her, but Economics was his last lesson and he knew that he would just have to wait till the end of the day to talk to Lark. He couldn't wait for the school bell to ring to signal the end of the day. When it did he jumped out of his seat and rushed out of the classroom without even saying a word to Dana. He walked quickly out of the school building and made his way to the train station so he could get to Wayne Manor, he had to talk to Lark.  
  
"In a hurry are you?" Terry turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. Lark was sitting in the sun outside a cafeteria, sipping iced tea. "Pull up a chair." She said. Terry got a chair and sat next to Lark.  
  
"I didn't see you there." He said. "I was heading for your house."  
  
"Do you want a drink?" She asked.  
  
"No thanks. I wanted to say thank you." Terry said.  
  
"Don't mention it." Lark replied.  
  
"How did you?" Terry asked. "How did you do it? Mr Matters graded my, your, paper during the lesson and gave it an A."  
  
"It wasn't exactly my work." Lark confessed. "I convinced Gramps to find me a copy of the last sales pitch to the public made by Wayne Enterprises. I made a few alterations and ring bound it."  
  
"Bruce lets you call him Gramps?" Terry asked. "Whoa! But he let you have the report, did he know it was for me?"  
  
"Oh yes. I had to convince him though. He said that you should handle your own school work on your own." Lark said.  
  
"How did you convince him? He's pretty stubborn on that sort of thing." Terry said.  
  
"So am I!" Lark laughed. "Let us just say that I have Bruce Wayne wrapped around my little finger. To him I can do nothing wrong, I'm his little granddaughter after all!" Terry laughed and stretched out in the sun.  
  
"Thank you." He said. "I really don't deserve you as a friend."  
  
"I may be more than just a friend soon." Lark said. Terry looked at her in surprise. "Not like that!" She said quickly. She whispered, "Bruce gave me the Phoenix suit yesterday, with a few Batman style extras. He says that a certain Bat-like friend of his might was a little bird-like sidekick."  
  
Terry looked at her in astonishment. "He was you to be the sidekick?" He asked.  
  
"He says it is in my blood. Unless you don't want an assistant." Lark added.  
  
"Are you kidding? Of course I do!" Terry cried. He hugged Lark in excitement and she hugged him back, thankful that he actually wanted her help.  
  
"Well, I guess that these days you have to watch even your best friends with your boyfriend!" Terry and Lark turned around to see Dana standing looking at them, hand on hips.  
  
"Dana. It's not what you think!" Lark said quickly.  
  
"Well, that's a new line!" Dana said sarcastically.  
  
"No Dana, it's true." Lark stood up with difficulty. "Whatever you may think, Terry and I are good friends. We were just sharing some good news. And besides, even though I do have feelings for Terry I know that I can't act on them because he only has feelings for you." Lark grabbed her crutches. "I'll leave you two alone now."  
  
"No!" Terry stood up quickly. "Don't go. There are a few things that have to be said."  
  
"I've said it all Terry." Lark said. "You and Dana are together, and no matter what I may feel nothing can happen because you two love each other don't you?"  
  
Dana nodded, but surprisingly Terry said, "No."  
  
"No? What do you mean 'no'?" Dana asked.  
  
"I mean that I don't love you Dana. I thought that I did. But I don't." Terry said. "I spent so long trying to keep you happy that I forgot what it was like to just have fun with my girlfriend, rather than having to apologise and toe the line all the time. When we split up I just moped around because I felt like I had to. But other things have made me realise something."  
  
Lark and Dana were both looking at Terry in shock. "Dana, you are a wonderful girl. But as you said, I have changed." Terry said. "I'm not how I used to be. If I were then I would still love you like I used to. But the fact is that it is too difficult for us to be together. You deserve better than me Dana. You deserve someone who will treat you like a princess, not someone who may always have to put other priorities first."  
  
"I see." Dana said. "And what made you realise this?"  
  
"It was when you and Lark were injured." Terry said. "You wanted someone to look after you, Lark wanted someone to have fun with. You are the same in relationships. Dana wants someone to take care of her every whim, and Lark wants a friend." Terry sighed. "I'm sorry Dana, but I don't want to be your slave."  
  
Dana looked at Terry for a moment before speaking. "You are right."  
  
"I am?" Terry looked shocked.  
  
"Hey, we both knew that we were fighting for a lost cause to keep us together. Since we have been going back out I've realised how much better a boyfriend Rick was, for me anyway." Dana smiled. "I hope we can stay friends, but I agree. We should give it up now before I get all emotional again and you have to run off on errands."  
  
She walked over to Terry and kissed his cheek. "See you around then." She walked off, obviously off to catch the next unsuspecting boy in her trap.  
  
Terry looked at Lark who was swaying slightly on her crutches. She avoided his eye. "I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to cause you two to break up."  
  
"It was always coming." Terry replied. "Come and sit down, you look pale."  
  
Lark sat down slowly and sipped on the last of her iced tea. "So, you had fun with me?" She asked finally.  
  
"More than I ever had with Dana." Terry replied. "You have more of a zest for life. And besides, you wouldn't have a go at me if I have to cancel a date. You know why I have to cancel."  
  
"So, is there going to be a date to cancel?" Lark asked.  
  
"I won't cancel it." Terry said, moving closer to her.  
  
"So when will you pick me up?" Lark asked. Terry jumped up and physically picked Lark up. She laughed. "I meant for our date!" She said.  
  
"I know that." Terry said. "You should make the most of me being your slave. I won't be doing this when you are off of those crutches."  
  
"In that case I might push myself down the stairs." Lark joked. "But you do know one thing?"  
  
"What?" Terry asked.  
  
"Someone may not be too happy about us being an item."  
  
"Bruce?" Terry asked.  
  
"You got it." Lark said.  
  
"I think he will come around to the idea. And if he doesn't, tough on him!" Terry said as he put Lark down and walked her home.  
  
THE END 


End file.
